


Drifting

by chaoticbirds



Series: Drifting || pjm [1]
Category: Park Jimin - Fandom, bts, bts jimin - Fandom, jimin - Fandom, pjm - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, College AU, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Jimin!Dancer, Jungkook!dancer, Reader!dancer, chapters get longer oops, mc and pjm are dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26547568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticbirds/pseuds/chaoticbirds
Summary: After being assigned different partners for your midterm routine, your and Jimin’s relationship starts to deteriorate when you both begin spending more time away from each other and with your assigned partners instead.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Reader, Park Jimin (BTS)/Reader
Series: Drifting || pjm [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930537
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic for bts! I’m excited and super nervous. I hope you all enjoy this series c: (Originally on Tumblr)

Park Jimin was unique in every way. His personality, his voice, his appearance, and the way he moved. He had an aura that captivated anyone around him.

You stared at him as he moved elegantly across the Marley flooring. The room was quiet except for the music and his soft breathing as he danced. You were in awe of his talent. How did you get so lucky? You bit your lower lip in thought.

You and Jimin have been together for nearly two years. He’s made your world turn upside down in the most beautiful way. The joy he brought into your life was overwhelming at times, but you wouldn’t trade it for anything. You had transferred universities last year and met Jimin in your dance appreciation course. While the class was listed for dancers, you didn’t actually dance in it– at least nothing spectacular. It was just barre exercises. The course was mandatory for those interested in pursuing dance as a profession. The course included the history of dance, basic vocabulary, and self-reflection essays. You and Jimin were assigned as partners for an assignment. Although you stopped speaking for a few weeks after the assignment was completed, you both realized you missed the other’s company and began communicating again. You didn’t realize how talented he was until you caught him practicing in the studio one night. By then, you were already falling for him. You enjoyed his personality and seeing him being that exquisite in his moves made you crave him more.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you forgot about his partner. Your eyes followed her hands as they slid up from behind him and across his chest slowly. You felt your chest tighten at the movement and tried to not show your disapproval on your face. You knew it was the choreography, but that didn’t mean you liked it.

You eyed their movements closely as they glided across the floor together. You didn’t notice the dance was over until you heard the claps from your classmates and instructor. You reluctantly joined them as you took a deep breath, trying to calm your emotions. Jimin and Yun Hee bowed before sitting down with the rest of the students. 

Yun Hee was one of the best dancers at the university, along with Jimin. While Yun Hee specialized in jazz, Jimin specialized in contemporary. Although you wanted to dislike Yun Hee for being everything you wish you were, you couldn’t. Yun Hee was one of those girls who were good at most activities, yet wasn’t a bitch. Jealousy was an awful feeling.

Jimin gave you a small smile as he lowered himself to the floor and rested a hand on your thigh. You forced a smile on your lips, breaking his eye contact to focus on the instructor.

“Very good, Jimin and Yun Hee,” said Mrs. Seung. “As you saw, their connection is evident in their movements. Their body language combined with their facial expressions keeps the audience’s attention and helps tell the story. I would like everyone to take note of their performance and see how you can incorporate their energy into your own dancing.”

Connection, you thought. That word did not help the little green monster on your shoulder. You hated feeling jealous. While this wasn’t the first time (or probably your last) getting jealous, Jimin has proven over the span of your relationship that he is loyal and would never betray your trust. You tried to remember that as Mrs. Seung kept speaking.

“We have 10 minutes left, so let’s all get up and try again,” she said as she moved to the side. You left out a silent sigh as you got up and shuffled slowly to your partner.

Partners for the mid-term were assigned while partners for the final exam were not. You and Jimin had already agreed to be each other’s partners for the final exam. 

You positioned yourself in the beginning position and took another deep breath. When the music started, you couldn’t stop your thoughts from racing. Your body moved on auto-pilot. Although that wasn’t always a bad thing, it was in this case. You were so focused on Jimin and Yun Hee that you missed a few steps, resulting in your partner glaring at your mid-performance. The dance felt like it went on forever even though it was only a minute and a half long– the first minute choreographed while the thirty seconds was up to the partners.

As you were trying to catch your breath, you couldn’t help but notice the disappointment in your instructor’s eyes when they locked on yours. You’ll admit it– you were not the best in the class. How could you be when Jimin was in the course? However, you never felt like you were the worst.

That was until today.

What confidence you had vanished within a blink of an eye. The sound of your heart pumping was so loud that you didn’t hear Mrs. Seung dismiss the class.

“Y/N?” Someone asked and tapped you on the shoulder. You jumped at the unexpected interaction and looked for the person who called you. Another student stood in front of you, his hair stuck to his forehead from his sweat and his big doe eyes staring down at you. Your gaze wandered over his shoulder and saw Jimin and Yun Hee speaking while your partner, Jae, was talking to his friends, a scowl on his face. No doubt he was complaining about you.

“You okay?” The student asked, getting your attention again. “That’s your name, right? Y/N?” He asked nervously, raising an arm to rub at the back of his neck.

“Y-yeah,” you stuttered. You finally analyzed his face and recognized him. He was also in your dance appreciation course last year and in your intro to photography class this year. What was his name again?

“You don’t remember me, huh?” He asked with a chuckle and dropped his arm. “I’m-”

“Jungkook!” You cut him off, his name popping in your head. His lips slowly formed a smile and he nodded before he continued.

“I saw the way Jae treated you. Before you say anything, I just want to say I’m sorry he treated you in such a disrespectful way,” he replied. 

“Ah, I probably deserved it. I messed up a lot,” you said quietly and rubbed your arm while chewing on your lower lip. A nervous habit of yours.

“That isn’t an excuse,” he shook his head and glanced at the door as Jae exited the studio. “Anyway, I was going to offer to switch partners. I just wanted to get your permission before I asked Mrs. Seung.”

You looked at him dumbfounded. Although you and Jungkook were not close, you did have a few short encounters. He wasn’t necessarily your friend, more of acquaintance. This is why his offer took you by surprise. 

“What? No, it’s okay. I can deal with it. The mid-term presentations are in two weeks. I won’t have to interact with him anymore after that.”

“I insist. My partner and Jae are apparently good friends. I think they’ll be okay with the switch,” he reassured. You glanced down at your bare feet and gave it a thought. You didn’t want to be partnered with Jae, but you also didn’t want to seem like you couldn’t handle conflict. Though Jungkook did have a point, he and your partner were friends so they would most likely be happier anyway. It was a win-win, right? How were you going to show your “connection” in your performance with someone you disliked anyway? With a huff, you nodded and looked up at Jungkook.

“Alright,” you verbally confirmed. “Let’s do it.”

You couldn’t help the smile that crept on your face as he smiled widely- showing off his teeth. “I’ll go ask now,” he said and strode over to Mrs. Seung as she was gathering her things. You couldn’t hear their conversation and felt awkward staring so you averted your gaze, looking for your boyfriend. There were a few students still getting ready to leave. You found Jimin and Yun Hee still in conversation. They were both smiling and talking as if no one else mattered. Why did she have to look at him like that? Why did he have to look at her like that? Darn his flirtatious nature. You tore your gaze from them before your green-eyed monster made a (bigger) appearance. You looked at Jungkook and Mrs. Seung again. She pursed her lips for a second before saying something. Jungkook nodded, gave her a polite smile, then walked back to you.

“Well, good and bad news– she said she’d think about it. Which means that not a no,” he said.

“That’s also not a ye-”

“Shhh,” he said and pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m sure she’ll agree to the change. I went through the pros and cons. And mind you, there’s not really any cons.”

He looked so confident in his answer that you believed it for a second. You shrugged at his answer and looked away. You noticed Jimin and Yun Hee were no longer talking and he was looking at you confused. Jungkook followed your gaze and noticed the tension.

“She said she’ll have her answer next class, so we’ll know then. I’ll let you go now,” he said with an awkward chuckle. He gave you a small wave before he turned away, picking up his belongings, then leaving the studio. As soon as he was out of your view, you walked to gather your own things and slip on your shoes. You grabbed your things quickly when you noticed everyone was leaving and you, Jimin, and Mrs. Seung were the only ones left. You could tell Jimin was still confused at your and Jungkook’s interaction. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by your instructor.

“Mr. Park, can I please speak to you alone for a few minutes?” Jimin looked up and nodded politely. He looked back at you as you stood up, your backpack slung over your right shoulder. Could he tell you weren’t happy today? You guessed yes from what he said next.

“How about after I’m done, I’ll go get some food and come to your room?” He asked, offering you a smile. Shit. His smile was too gorgeous to say no.

“That sounds nice,” you replied softly.

“I’ll see you soon then,” he said gently. He leaned down and kissed the top of your head quickly before walking to Mrs. Seung. You took the cue and exited the room.

“I wanted to talk to you about Y/N,” you heard your instructor say when you were outside the classroom. The door was propped open slightly, allowing you to be out of view but not out of earshot. Although eavesdropping was not polite, you couldn’t help the curious cat inside you. You lingered quietly outside the studio.

“Oh,” you heard Jimin say, confused. “What about her?”

“I know you two are planning to be partners for the final exam,” she started slowly. “You two are very close, but I wanted to remind you that it’s okay to not do everything together.”

There was a pause.

“I’m not sure what you’re implying,” he replied. You could tell he was trying to still be polite but didn’t like the way this conversation was going.

“As your instructor, I want the best for you. I’ve seen your talent, Jimin, you’re very skilled in your work,” she said. “However, I have also seen Y/N’s work. While she is talented, I’m afraid she may hold you back from your fullest potential.”

There was another pause.

“I-”

“I don’t mean to say things that are disrespectful,” Mrs. Seung quickly interrupted. “Again, I’m talking to you as your instructor, so please do not take this personally. I think you are both talented, but I believe you can strive more with another partner.”

“I understand you want the best for me, but I don’t believe Y/N holds me back,” Jimin replied.

“You don’t have to take my advice, Jimin, I just want you to consider your options. You do not need to be Y/N’s partner in order to keep your close relationship.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I do not think I’ll change partners,” he said. You wanted to smile at that, but just knowing this conversation is actually happening hurt you too much.

“Hmm, very well,” your instructor said after a moment. “Again, it’s just a suggestion. I’ll let you get back to your studies,” she dismissed him. You heard shuffling and you quickly left the building before you could get caught. 

image  
The walk to your dorm was a gloomy one. Not only did you have to watch Jimin and his partner have a “connection”, you got glared at (and cursed at behind your back) by your partner, and discovered your instructor thought you were a poor influence on Jimin. Your confidence was definitely nonexistent after all that. You couldn’t wait to roll up in your bed and fall asleep.

Your dorm building was co-ed. The right side of the building was for females while the left was for males. The building was designed for performing art majors so everyone in the building was majoring in that department. The unique thing about your building was that it had rooms for theatre students, music students, art students, and dance students. This meant there was a small black box theatre, private rooms that were soundproof and built for musicians, art lab, and even small dance studios. There was also the common room which had lounging and games for students– pool tables, chess, board games, Foosball, etc. It was the perfect place for people in your department.

As you approached your room, you noticed a figure laying on the floor in front of your door. What the-?

“Yoongi?” You questioned as you got closer. He groaned and looked up at you, squinting from the fluorescent lights. He had his usual headband on along with sweats and a zipped up jacket.

“What are you doing here? Your room is on the other side.” He rolled his eyes and sat up, leaning his back against your door with his legs outstretched in front of him.

“Can’t I see my best friend? Your class ended 45 minutes ago. Where have you been?” 

Although you were glad to see him, you weren’t in the mood for more human interactions. Without answering, you unlocked your door and pushed it open. You heard a gruff from below as Yoongi fell backward from the sudden loss of back support.

“Why are you so glum, chum?” He asked as he slowly picked himself off the floor and closed your door. “Did you fall on your ass during class? Did Jimin finally confess that he loves Tannie more than you?”

You dropped your bag on your floor and plopped yourself on your bed. Luckily, your dorm consisted of a small living room, two separate bedrooms, and a shared bathroom with your roommate. Although there wasn’t a kitchen, it was a good dorm with enough privacy. Yoongi shut your bedroom door and plopped down in his favorite spot in your room– your huge bean bag. He let out a satisfied sigh as his body became one with the bag.

“Tannie loves me more than anyone,” you stated and kicked off your shoes. “I’ve just had a rough day. I’ll be fine in a few hours.” You didn’t feel like getting into the meat of things at the moment.

He frowned at you. “I’m sorry you had a shitty day. Mine wasn’t the best either.” You raised an eyebrow at him, indicating you wanted him to continue.

“Well, I tripped into a puddle on my way to class and had to sit soaked until my class ended,” he said and scrunched his face in disgust at the memory.

“You could’ve gone back to your dorm and changed,” you replied. He shrugged.

“Normally I would, but I was trying to be a good student. The good thing is that I smelled, so no one wanted to sit next to me. It was great; I had a lot of personal space.”

You giggled and shook your head. “I’m glad there was a little sunshine in your small storm,” you said and grabbed your phone when you heard it chime.

I’ll be there later than I thought. Sorry. - pjm

“Did Jimin do something wrong?” Yoongi asked, interrupting your thoughts. You slid your phone away from you and looked at Yoongi.

“Why do you ask?” You reply, not wanting him to notice your disappointment.

“You look upset,” he said. You could tell he was no longer joking and was genuinely concerned. Sometimes you really hated how good he could read you. He’s not your best friend without a reason, you thought. You let out a deep sigh and fell back on your bed. Might as well get it off your chest.

“Our instructor made Jimin and his partner perform in front of the class because she wanted everyone to see their ‘connection’ and be like them,” you said as you stared at the ceiling. Yoongi stayed silent as you continued your list of misfortunes. You hadn’t brought up Jungkook.

“Just ask if you can switch partners,” Yoongi said after you finished. “Two weeks is going to feel like torture.”

“Funny you say that,” you started and propped yourself up to look at your best friend. “Jungkook asked the instructor to switch partners, so he’ll be with me.”

“Jungkook? Why does that name sound familiar?” He asked.

“Because he’s in our intro to photography course this semester and he usually gets called on.”

“Ahhh, him! Well, at least he knows the answer. I only know five percent of the questions asked in that class,” he mumbled. You shake your head at his response.

“Not true, Yoongi, you’re very smart. You know the answers,” you said and got up. You were planning to take a shower after eating with Jimin, but since he was going to be here later, you decided to take one now.

“Aishhh, Y/N,” he groaned. “I don’t like it when you’re sappy. Where are you going?” He asked when he noticed you were gathering your toiletries.

“I’m going to shower,” you said and grabbed your towel. “You can stay or you can go.”

“That’s rude,” he huffed. “You have a guest over, aka your best friend.”

“Sorry, but I smell like I swam in that puddle you fell into,” you said and gave him a small, teasing smile. He rolled his eyes.

“This is why I’m not telling you things anymore,” he said. “I’ll stay, by the way. I have nothing better to do.”

You shrugged at his response and grabbed your clothes. You usually just change in your room, but since Yoongi is here you decided to change in the bathroom. You left your room and shuffled to your bathroom. Your roommate should be out with her friends at this time. You vaguely remember her telling you she’ll be gone until later tonight. You showered quickly, trying to get rid of your bad thoughts. It wasn’t your first time having a shitty day, but this day really got to you.

Get yourself together, you thought as you let the water rinse off the soap. You dried yourself, changed into shorts and a random t-shirt, and exited the bathroom. 

“Did you get me anything?” You heard Yoongi’s voice and paused at your closed door. Has he officially gone crazy and started talking to himself?

“No, sorry. I didn’t know you’d be here,” you heard another voice say. “You can have some of mine, though.”

You pushed open the door and hung your towel on the rack you have hanging on the back of your door. You turned and saw Jimin standing in the middle of your room and Yoongi in the same spot you left him.

“Hey,” Jimin said softly, offering you a smile. You guessed the shower didn’t do much since your thoughts still lingered on Yun Hee’s hands still on him and his conversation with Mrs. Seung.

“It’s okay,” Yoongi said to Jimin and stood up, facing you. “I’ll head out since you have company. I’ll text you later.” He patted your back before leaving your room and your dorm. You waited until you heard the second door shut with a click before looking at Jimin again.

“How’d you get in?” You asked softly and sat on your bed. You patted the spot next to you. Jimin followed your notion and slid next to you. He placed his hand on your thigh again.

“Yoongi let me in,” he said simply and glanced at his hand on your thigh. You looked at the empty bean bag, confused. He didn’t even look like he moved.

“I got us food,” he said and nodded toward the bag on your desk, dragging you out of your thoughts. You looked at the bag and began to get up to get it. Jimin pressed down on your thigh gently, letting you know to stay. He got up and brought the bag to your bed. You both repositioned to where you were facing each other in the middle of your bed rather than sitting on the edge of your bed.

“Thank you,” you said softly as he began unpacking its contents.

“You want to tell me what made you so sad today?” He asked as he arranged the food. You stared down at his working hands instead of his face.

“I just had a lot on my mind and it caused me to mess up the choreography,” you said. You had no intention of discussing what exactly was on your mind. He reached forward and took your hands in his. When you didn’t look at him, he leaned his face down to meet your gaze. You reluctantly looked up at him. You sighed internally. You could get lost in his eyes.

“It happens to me, too,” he said lowly. “You shouldn’t let that get to you. You had a bad day, that doesn’t define who you are as a whole, baby.” Your chest tightened at his words and his pet name. It wasn’t the first time he’s called you that, but it still makes you happy whenever he uses it.

“I know you’re amazing,” he continued when you didn’t reply. “Let’s just eat, watch some movies, and cuddle to get your mind off of anything that’s bothering you. I hate seeing you so upset,” he said and rubbed small circles on the back of your hands. Your mind raced with all the events that happened today. The conversation he had with your instructor repeated itself in your mind. You stared at him, searching his eyes on how he felt about you. Although he said he wasn’t going to change partners, he still had time. Was he truly considering it? Did he agree with Mrs. Seung even if it was a little? Wh-

Your mind stopped when you felt lips upon yours. Jimin pulled back and looked at you deeply.

“Stop thinking for a few hours,” he whispered. His face was close to yours. You just wanted to feel his lips again. You nodded and closed your eyes when his lips met yours again. This kiss was soft. His lips didn’t start moving until a few seconds into the kiss. He moved one of his hands up your arm to cradle your face gently while his other hand stayed holding your hand. You had to admit that this kiss helped ease your thoughts. You could only think about how Jimin’s soft lips locked with yours, moved with yours perfectly. Every kiss with him felt like the first– passionate and breathtaking. 

Jimin pulled away slowly, pressing his lips against yours quickly once more before removing his hands from you completely. He handed you your food then grabbed his laptop.

“So,” he said, his eyes gleaming with love and happiness as he looked at you again. Damn heart. Stop beating so fast. “What are we watching first?”


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a sudden change in plans, you felt stressed to perfect your midterm presentation with Jungkook. You begin practicing with Jungkook, meet a friend, and grow farther apart from Jimin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not entirely proud of how this story is turning out, but I’m determined to finish it! Also, my summaries are awful sorry >.<

Friday came faster than you expected. You sat on the studio’s floor in a straddle, leaning forward to stretch. Jimin was sitting next to you, his legs were also in a straddle but were reaching to the left. 

“Are you okay?” You glanced at Jimin when you heard him speak. You hadn’t realized he was staring at you. 

You slowly sat up and brought your legs together and began to work on your pike. The burn in your legs was painfully pleasant. You let out a deep breath as you held the position, letting your body get used to the feeling.

“Yes, why do you ask?” You asked with your head between your arms. 

“You just seem upset. Do you want to-“

“Hey, Jimin.”

You lifted your head at a new voice and saw Yun Hee. Jimin glanced up and gave her a smile. The smile already on her face grew.

“Hi,” Jimin said. 

“How was your day yesterday?” She asked and sat down, beginning her stretch routine. Jimin hesitated for a second as he glanced at you before answering. 

“It was fine. Do you mind giving us a moment?” He asked gently. 

Yun Hee looked around him and noticed you. You couldn’t tell how she felt from her expression. You sat up from your stretch and crossed your legs. 

“Oh,” she said and looked at Jimin again. “Of course. I didn’t realize you were in a conversation. I apologize,” she said and moved away from you both to her friends to the side. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” you said to Jimin after she left. Although you didn’t mean what you just said, you didn’t want to seem clingy and selfish. 

Jimin smiled at you and shook his head. “I can tell when you’re unhappy, Y/N,” he said and grabbed one of your hands. He began massaging your hand softly as he looked you in the eyes. “Are you still thinking about the last class?” He asked, referring to what you spoke to him about previously. You bit your lip as you hesitated. Since dance was every other day, you’ve had a whole day to get over what happened. Unfortunately, it all still lingered in your mind. 

“No,” you lied and tore your gaze away. Jimin frowned at your reply and squeezed your hand. 

“Jagiya, you’ll do great today. If you mess up again it’s not a big deal. Just do your best,” Jimin said, trying to make you feel better. You appreciated his kind words and wanted to believe them. 

“Come on, take a deep breath,” he continued and then inhaled deeply. You looked at him and followed, taking in a big breath as you held it for three seconds before slowly exhaling. 

“Good girl,” he said with a smile and gave a soft kiss to your cheek. You slowly returned the smile. I got this, you thought. Yesterday is over. Prove to Mrs. Seung that you’re better than she believes. Yun Hee doesn’t have a chance with Jimin. He loves you. Not her. You. Not her. 

“Ms. Y/L/N,” Mrs. Seung said. You snapped your eyes up at your instructor’s voice and quickly stood. 

“Hi, Mrs. Seung,” you greeted. “What can I do for you?” 

“Please follow me,” she said and looked around the room. Who was she looking for?

“Mr. Jeon,” she finally said when she stopped her gaze on Jungkook. He sat in the corner by himself, his hair hiding his eyes. You suddenly became more nervous when you realized you were about to find out if you were going to change partners.

Jungkook stood at his name being called and walked over to you both. Mrs. Seung gestured to follow as she walked out of the classroom. You followed quickly and slipped past the open door. 

Once you were all outside the classroom, Mrs. Seung spoke again. “After careful consideration, I’ve allowed for the partner change.”

You looked at Jungkook then back at your instructor. You were surprised at her decision since she tends to lean on the strict side. She rarely likes changes since she believes conflict should not be avoided. 

“However, I am expecting a flawless performance. I’ve spoken to Jae and Qwen and they have agreed to change partners. I am also expecting a high-quality performance from them, as well. I hope you all can understand why,” she said as she looked at you both. You both nodded in understanding. She wasn’t going to change partners without some consequences. 

“Excellent,” she said. “Let’s get back to class and start our lesson.” She turned on her heel and entered the room again, instructing everyone to get with their partners to review the routine. You glanced up at Jungkook and saw him smiling. 

“See? I knew she would let us switch,” he said happily. “Let’s go, partner,” he joked and pulled you inside. Jimin’s gaze followed you as you returned with Jungkook holding your arm. He glanced at the contact and narrowed his eyes on Jungkook. Jungkook, however, didn’t notice and waited for Mrs. Seung’s next instructions. 

This practice went smoother than the last. Jungkook was patient with you when you missed a few steps. You got comfortable with Jungkook faster than you expected and began focusing on the choreography more, which eased your stress. The memory of Jimin, Yun Hee, and Mrs. Seung was no longer prominent in your mind. Jungkook would whisper the next move to you until you got the routine near-perfectly.

Last class, Mrs. Seung only taught half of the dance. Today, she was finishing the remainder of the choreography. You weren’t the fastest learner, so you were grateful to have two weeks to practice and perfect the routine. Especially since Mrs. Seung would grade you tougher now. 

It was now the end of the class and students were either sitting or standing while they caught their breath. 

“Everyone is doing well today,” Mrs. Seung said. “Well enough that I do not believe the two weeks is necessary. I anticipated it would take longer to teach the routine, however, it seems everyone has gotten the choreography fairly quickly.”

Your breath got caught in your thought. Was she serious? You glanced at Jungkook to try to see if he felt as panicky as you did. Unfortunately, he showed no signs of panic. You barely know the choreography plus you and Jungkook haven’t even started on the freestyle part. You haven’t had time to perfect anything. 

“While I understand this may be difficult for some of you, I am not diverting from my decision. I believe you all can make time to practice,” she continued. “I appreciate everyone’s hard work and am excited to see the final product. Remember that you and your partner will need to choreograph the last thirty seconds of the routine. I am giving you all next week to get with your partner and practice. The presentations will start Monday, so do not be late. You’re dismissed,” she concluded. 

The room erupted in noise as people began gathering their materials. 

“So did you want to meet up during class time or- hey, are you okay?” Jungkook stopped when he saw your face. Although you tried to hide your nervousness, you supposed it was showing. 

“Yeah,” you said and composed yourself. “I just wish she didn’t shorten the deadline.”

He chuckled and wiped his sweat on his forehead with his hand towel. You couldn’t help but stare at him as he did so. Jungkook was an interesting character. You couldn’t deny that he was handsome. His hair was long enough to hang in his eyes and his face had a sharp structure. 

“We’re going to do great,” he said. “Don’t stress about it, Y/N. I’m free to practice the majority of the week.”

You nodded as you replied, “I’m free for the most part, too. Can we exchange numbers to make this easier?” You asked and started to walk toward your bag. 

“That sounds great,” Jungkook said and followed you. You grabbed your phone, unlocked it, navigated to your contacts, then added him to your phone. 

“Do you want to meet later today?” He asked as he inserted his number. 

“Today?” You asked, surprised. You were not expecting him to begin practicing so early. 

“Yeah,” he said and handed your phone back. “I’m free and since you’re so nervous, I figured the sooner the better.” He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. You took note that that must be his nervous habit. 

“True,” you confessed and slid your phone in your bag. You were about to reply but felt a hand rest on your lower back. You looked up and saw Jimin standing next to you. 

“Jungkook,” Jimin greeted. His voice wasn’t gentle, but it wasn’t harsh either. You knew Jimin could get possessive over his loved ones, but you haven’t seen this side of him in a while. You figured he wasn’t as possessive as he used to be since he seemed fine with Jae being your partner. Perhaps you were wrong.

“Jimin,” Jungkook replied, glancing at him quickly before averting his eyes on you. 

“So, tonight?” Jungkook questioned. You could tell he wasn’t comfortable and wanted to leave. 

“Uh yeah,” you said, trying to figure out what was going on between them. Jimin you could understand why he was being cold, but Jungkook’s behavior was unfamiliar. 

“Great, see you later,” Jungkook said then left. Jimin’s gaze lingered on him until he felt you tug in his shirt. 

“Don’t be upset,” you said and reached down to grab both your bags. He mumbled thanks as he grabbed his bag from you.

“I’m not,” he said, keeping his hand on your lower back as he led you out the room. You rolled your eyes and looked at him. 

“Jimin,” you said. He shook his head and slid his arm around your waist so he could pull you closer as you both walked back to the dorms. “We’re just partners,” you tried to reassure him when he didn’t say anything.

“I know. I trust you,” he said honestly, looking down at you briefly. 

“You don’t trust Jungkook?” You questioned. He pursed his lips at the question. 

“No,” he replied truthfully.

“He seems like a trustworthy person,” you said. “What are you worried about?” 

“I don’t want to lose you,” he said quietly. You stopped him and stared at him. 

“I don’t want to lose you, either,” you said sincerely. You guessed if he was bringing up partners, you should confess what’s been on your mind. “I know I’ve been distant lately, but I haven’t given you the full reason.”

Before you can continue, Jimin took a hold of your hand and guided you to an empty bench. You looked down at your hands as you sat next to him. He didn’t say anything as he stared at you, waiting for you to continue.

“The full reason is because of you and Yun Hee,” you said after taking a deep breath. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the full truth, but you figured it was the time to at least bring up half of your worries. Jimin hummed at your reply and nodded.

“I had a feeling,” he confessed and ran a hand through his dark locks. You glanced up at you and tilted your head to the side. Were you really that obvious that was the problem?

“I know you, Y/N,” Jimin said with a soft smile. “I guess we both aren’t completely comfortable with each other’s partners,” he concluded.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” you replied. “I’ve been trying to not be so,” you hesitated for a moment. “Jealous.” Just saying it out loud made you feel ashamed. You didn’t want Jimin to believe you didn’t trust him. 

“Let’s both agree that despite having different partners we still trust the other that nothing will happen,” he said, pressing his lips to your knuckles. You smiled at him and leaned forward. You pressed your lips against him softly for a few seconds. You felt him smile into the brief kiss.

“Agreed,” you said after you pull away.

“Good,” Jimin hummed then stood. “Now, let’s get back to the dorms.”

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Your eyes widened at the sight in front of you. Jimin had just unlocked his door to his dorm and stopped in his tracks. Music was blasting (as loud as could be without getting complaints) and two asses were faced toward the door, bouncing to the beat.

“What the hell is happening?” Jimin asked as he stared at his roommate and your best friend.

Taehyung and Yoongi stopped momentarily to see who was at the door before continuing their dancing.

“Hey guys,” Taehyung greeted when he saw you both just standing still. He expected you both to come in already. He grabbed both yours and Jimin’s hands, pulling you into the room and shutting the door.

“Yoongi?” You questioned as Yoongi resumed his position. His back was bent over slightly, arms out at his sides, and jumping up and down. Although this was always his go-to move, it still was amusing to watch every time. Yoongi never responded.

“Why are you both having a dance party during the day?” Jimin asked as he dropped his bag on the floor. You followed his lead and set down your bag. Taehyung shrugged and turned off the music so they could talk properly. Yoongi whined next to you and stood up fully.

“Just because the party poopers are here doesn’t mean we have to succumb to them,” Yoongi said and fell onto the living room couch with a huff.

“Sorry, Yoongi. You can continue soon. I have to go practice in a few anyway,” you said and took a seat next to your best friend.

“So back to my question,” Jimin said and sat on one of the chairs that were adjacent to you.

“There has to be a reason?” Yoongi questioned.

“Well it’s not every day we walk into you both twerking,” Jimin replied with a laugh.

“It’s Friday! No classes for at least two days!” Tae explained and picked up an exciting Yeontan. Originally, pets were not allowed in the dorms. However, after a petition made its way around campus, the university decided to allow pets. The rules for pets were not too bad, but you did have to fill out an application and get accepted to bring your pet. You also had to pay an extra deposit in case the pet damages university property. Yoongi decided to not apply since he was not sure he could handle taking care of a pet while attending classes. 

“Even Yeontan is happy,” Tae continued and Tannie licked his face happily to prove Tae’s point.

“Give me my baby,” you whined and extended your arms out. Tae frowned at your request but handed you Yeontan.

“Hi mister,” you said to Tannie and gave him a kiss, which he returned. “Did you miss me?” Yeontan panted happily at your voice, his tongue sticking out.

Yoongi watched your interaction and mumbled, “I miss Holly.”

You peered at your best friend and gave him a sad smile, offering Yeontan to him. Instead of taking him, Yoongi just leaned over and gave him a few pets. 

“So any plans for this weekend?” Jimin asked no one in particular as he scanned the room. 

“None right now, but let’s do something. I’m sick of this room,” Tae said and fell backward onto the opposite chair of Jimin’s dramatically.

“I think this room is nice,” Yoongi said and pulled away from Yeontan. You continued to give Tannie love as you rubbed his back.

“You’re just saying that because you enjoy staying indoors,” you said and looked at Yoongi briefly. He shrugged at your reply, neither confirming nor denying your statement. 

“Come on, Yoongi,” Tae said, sitting up. “Let’s all do something.” Jimin looked at you to know your thoughts. You turned to him and shrugged. Your homework load this weekend was light and you could use some time outside the dorms and classrooms. Although you were stressed about your dance midterm, you needed some time away from it to regain your mental energy for it.

“What are you thinking?”

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

“So now you have a week less than what was originally planned?” Yoongi asked as he waited outside your bathroom.

Two hours had passed in Jimin’s and Tae’s dorm. You all spoke about this weekend’s plans and chatted about anything that came to mind. It was a nice, relaxing downtime after the week you had. You were now getting dressed for practice with Jungkook. Yoongi decided he spent enough time with Tae and Jimin and followed you to your dorm.

“Precisely, and now Mrs. Seung is going to grade us harsher than the others since she allowed us to switch” you replied as you tugged on your leggings. You had also changed into an oversized plain black tee. Once you were done changing, you exited the room and checked your bag to see if you had everything you needed, which wasn’t much– water, a hand towel, extra hair ties, and your phone.

“Damn, that sounds shitty,” Yoongi said. “I’m sure you’ll do great, though. You always stress and end up with a near-perfect score.”

“Thanks, Yoongi, but Mrs. Seung seems to be examining me a lot more than usual.”

“Maybe because you’re corrupting her pride and joy Jimin,” he teased. You rolled your eyes at that, zipping up your bag and slinging it over your shoulder.

“She should date him instead then,” you huffed and checked your phone for any messages from Jungkook. There were none. 

“Gross,” Yoongi made a disgusted face.

“I’ve got to go,” you announced and grabbed your keys from the dish that was near the front door.

“Are you positive I can’t come? I need an excuse to not do my homework,” Yoongi followed you slowly, dragging his feet in hopes you’d change your mind.

“Sorry, Yoongs, I need to focus and I’m sure you’ll get bored quickly,” you opened the door and waited for Yoongi to exit. Yoongi pouted at your reply and left your dorm.

“Fine, I see how it is. It’s not like I’m not your best friend or anything,” he said and watched as you shut and locked your door.

“Don’t be so dramatic. Maybe next practice once I get my shit together.”

“Can I at least walk you to the practice room?”

“Are you that desperate to not do your work?” You began walking down the hall toward the practice rooms.

“Yes,” he replied and started following you. You hadn’t said no, so he figured it was okay.

“So how is he? Jungkook? Is he better than your previous partner?” He asked as you walked next to you.

“Extremely,” you replied. “I feel like I can actually perform well with his help.”

“I’m glad for you. I know you can do it,” Yoongi replied with a smile and you returned it. You both continued your talk until you stopped in front of one of the practice doors with the number seven on it.

“Good luck with your work. Finish it tonight so you don’t have to worry about it this weekend,” you said. His shoulders dropped at your request but nodded.

“I’ll try. Good luck at practice,” Yoongi said and waved goodbye. You smiled before pushing the door open. You were greeted with low music and Jungkook’s back to you. You shut the door quietly and set down your bag.

“Hey,” Jungkook said, not turning to face you as he did something with his phone.

“Hey,” you replied back and walked to the center of the room. The room wasn’t large, but it was big enough to do most dances. There was a single wall that was designed in head-to-floor mirrors. The only door in the room was for entering and exiting and it had a medium-sized square to view in and out the room. Where Jungkook was, there was a station where students could plug in a device to play their music. 

The music changed suddenly to something more upbeat and you glanced at Jungkook in the mirror. He stayed there for a few seconds before nodding and setting down his phone. You guessed he was pleased with the new music selection. He wore a loose-fitted black, long-sleeve shirt with black joggers.

“Ah,” he said suddenly with a small laugh. “I guess we’re the perfect partners since we decided to match.” You quirked up an eyebrow, glancing down at your outfit before looking at him again. You giggled and shrugged when you noticed he was right.

“Guess so.”

He smiled and stood next to you. “I figure we could stretch, mark the routine, then do it full out. Once we feel better we can even record and review it. We can start choreographing our part once we get the first part down.”

For some reason, hearing Jungkook’s agenda lifted some weight off your shoulders. It made you feel like there was hope after all. It felt good to have a plan. You felt determined to do well.

“Sounds great,” you nodded. He smiled at you in the mirror and began warming up before stretching. You followed his lead. Both of you were silent as you stretched, letting the music be the only sound in the room.

“Feel good?” He questioned when you both finished. You nodded. He gave a swift nod then walked to his phone. The music stopped playing.

“Do you want to mark with counts or music?” He asked, glancing at you over his shoulder.

“Music is fine.” He nodded again and music started playing. You stayed silent as you tried to figure out which part of the song was playing. Ah, you said in your head as you realized it was toward the end. You got in position as you waited for the song to loop. You didn’t feel nervous until now. It was just marking, but you didn’t want to mess up. Jungkook’s grade was on the line, as well. It would be unfair to do so poorly after he offered to be your partner.

“Let’s get it,” he said cheerfully, sensing your anxiousness and wanting you to feel better. You gave him a small smile in the mirror. You appreciated his effort.

“That was good,” he complimented once the routine finished. “I think you got it. Now we just have to get you to confidently do it,” he said and let the music play again.

“Full out now, yeah?” You question as you look up at him. He smiled, showing off his cute bunny smile. Damn, that smile was adorable. 

“Yup, you’re good with that, right?” He asked.

“Yeah,” you said and felt your heart beating. You can do this. You can do this. You quickly jumped up and down, shaking your hands as if you were shaking off your nerves. Jungkook watched you for a moment before laughing.

“Cute,” he commented and got into position. You shifted your head to each side before rolling your shoulders back and following his lead.

“Let’s get it,” you mimicked him earlier, feeling better. You heard Jungkook chuckled before the music played again and it was time to give it your all.

The dance was advanced. After all, it was senior year and this was one of the final classes to take. You had learned Jungkook was younger than you but got into higher-level classes from his outstanding skills in his year. You were impressed. 

The dance had its slow moments while some in the middle, it sped up. There weren’t any major lifts, just small ones that were easy to master. That is if you could focus hard enough to not mess them up. Your mind was focused on hitting each beat and following through each moment. You turned smoothly and landed behind Jungkook. You stood on the balls of your feet as you reached your hands across his chest. He let out a soft breath as his hands rubbed over your arms slowly. You kept your gaze on his back, counting the beat so you didn’t miss the next step. However, you didn’t see how intensely Jungkook was staring at your small form behind him in the mirror. 

Six. Seven. Eight. One. Pull away. 

Your hands quickly left his body and he spun to face you. While he was staring at your face, your face was on his chest. Not because you were shy to look at him, but because you were so focused on getting the timing right, you weren’t focused on anything else.

“That was good,” Jungkook breathed as he turned off the music after the routine. You hummed in reply and grabbed your water, breathing heavenly. You came back to the middle of the floor and sat down. You closed your eyes as you drank your cold water, the cool liquid feeling refreshing.

“I think I feel better about the routine,” you admitted and set your water between your outstretched legs. Jungkook sat next to you, his water in one hand while he leaned against the other. You noticed he wasn’t breathing as heavily as you. His stamina must be high, you thought. 

“I agree. You’re getting it quickly.”

“Let’s run it a few more times then we can record?” You suggested, taking another sip of your water. Jungkook nodded simply. You set down your water and pulled a hair tie from your leggings pocket. You stood up, bent over, and fixed your hair into a high ponytail. You bowed toward the mirror while Jungkook sat toward your left. 

Jungkook watched you silently. His eyes roamed to the small spot where your shirt raised from being bent over. His gaze lingered there briefly before traveling down your legs. He quickly tore his gaze away when you stood up and checked your new hairstyle in the mirror.

“Do you have another one?” Jungkook asked. You looked down at him confused. He gestured to the top of his head.

“Oh, one of these?” You pointed to your hair tie. He nodded.

“Uh, yeah,” you said.

“Do you mind if I borrow one?” He asked and gave a shy smile. Your eyes raised from his eyes to his hair, which was starting to mat to his face from his sweat. You giggled and nodded, pulling out another from your pocket. He mumbled a thank you before pulling some of his hair. Unfortunately, he wasn’t successful in getting his front hair in the small ponytail he made. He didn’t seem bothered though.

“Ready?” He asked and stood up. Your gaze followed his tiny ponytail and you couldn’t help the smile that was forming on your lips.

“What?” He asked when you didn’t reply. He turned his attention to himself in the mirror.

“Nothing, just,” you trailed off as you tried to think of a word. “Cute,” you finished, thinking of earlier. He chuckled.

“I am, right?” He joked and headed toward his phone.

“Totally,” you replied teasingly and got ready to practice again.

You both lay tiredly as random music plays. After running through the routine four times semi-full out, you both needed this long break. Suddenly, the door opened and a loud voice boomed around the room.

“Jungkookssssiiiiiiii-” A man walked in, holding a drink in one hand and a bag in another. “I got you fo-” He suddenly stopped when he realized you were there. The door was starting to shut and the man quickly moved out of the way. Jungkook laughed at the stranger and sat up.

“Hi Hobi hyung,” Jungkook greeted. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were going to have company,” he said sheepishly. You sat up and looked at who you figured was Hobi. His straight brown hair fell into his eyes after he moved from the moving door and he quickly flicked his head to the side to move it away.

“I told you I was practicing,” Jungkook replied and walked over to Hobi, grabbing the bag to peer inside.

“Exactly, you said you were practicing but not with someone,” he huffed and watched as Jungkook nodded in content at what was in the bag. Hobi quickly turned and strode toward you, squatting down to your level and outstretching a hand. You suddenly felt bad for being impolite and not standing to greet the man. 

“Hi, I’m Hoseok. You can call me Hobi or Hoseok. I answer to both,” he said cheerily. You took his hand and shook it.

“I’m Y/N,” you greeted.

“Hi Y/N,” he said and stood up. “So what are you two working on?” Hoseok asked and grabbed his drink again. “Oh,” he quickly interrupted himself. “Since I didn’t realize Jungkooksi wasn’t alone, you can have my share of the food,” he looked at you.

“Oh, it’s okay-”

“I insist,” he said. “I’m not that hungry since I’ve been drinking this,” he continued and lifted his drink. Its content was clear, yet a little fuzzy. You assumed it was 7up or Sprite since those were the most popular around campus. 

“You know we aren’t supposed to eat in here, right?” Jungkook said lowly. Hoseok shrugged.

“You aren’t supposed to bring food into the auditorium but I didn’t see you complaining when you ate all my snacks,” he retorted. Jungkook rolled his eyes but dismissed his comment.

“Anyway, back to my question, what are you guys practicing?” Hoseok asked again.

“Y/N is my partner for the midterm I was telling you about,” Jungkook replied.

“Ahhh, I see,” Hobi said and took a sip of his drink. “Can I see it?”

Jungkook stopped from pulling out the food and looked at you. You were watching their interaction silently.

“Uhh, we were actually just taking a break so-” Jungkook started.

“It’s good, ‘m good. Let’s do it,” you stopped him mid-sentence and stood up. Jungkook looked surprised.

“You positive?” He asked and set down the food bag.

“Yeah, and hey, uhm, Hoseok,” you paused. You felt a little awkward asking for a favor from someone you just met, but he seemed friendly. “Do you mind recording us?”

“Ah, perfect. Yeah, hyung, record us, please. Be useful,” Jungkook said teasingly. Hoseok gave Jungkook a playfully hit to his chest but set his drink down.

“I’d be happy to,” he replied and looked at you. You smiled and fetched your phone since Jungkook’s was being used for the music. You handed your phone to Hobi before doing your little jumping dance.

“Thanks, Hobi,” Jungkook said and walked to his phone.

“Yup,” Hoseok replied and walked to stand in the middle of the mirror-wall.

You finished your get-rid-of-nerves dance and took a deep breath. A new face made you nervous, but it was better to have someone there to help you record than just leaving your phone on the floor and hope it captures the majority of the dance.

“Let’s get it?” Jungkook asked as he started the song at the end. You smiled at him from your ready position and nodded.

“Let’s get it.”

The routine was slowly starting to become muscle memory. Your movements were smoother and didn’t seem so calculated like before. However, you still were too focused on the routine itself rather than Jungkook.

When it got to the partner choreography part, Jungkook said to Hobi, “This is to partner-improve part. We haven’t done it yet.”

Hobi nodded, ended the recording, then clapped his hands with a smile. His smile was contagious. What’s up with these guys and their handsome smiles? Jungkook stopped the music and walked to Hoseok. 

“That was great,” Hobi complimented and handed your phone back. You and Jungkook both said your thanks as you put your phone away. You sat down, leaning against the mirror wall. Jungkook followed you and brought the bag of you between you two. Hobi sat in front of you both, facing the mirror.

“May I offer some advice?” Hoseok asked. 

“Of course,” Jungkook said and took out the food for you both to share.

“I can tell your technique is good. I may not have seen the previous routines, but I can tell you are both improving,” he began. You began eating the not-so-hot-anymore fries that Jungkook passed you. “However, I am lacking that sense of connection. The music and the movements give off the vibe of an intense relationship. I suggest trying to now focus on the emotional aspect of it, rather than the technical part.”

Your chewing slowed as you thought back to the other day when Mrs. Seung had Jimin and Hun Yee perform because of their connection. You glanced at Jungkook and saw him already looking at you. You brought your bottom lip in between your teeth in thought.

“I think that will make your performance stronger,” Jungkook concluded when neither of you spoke then drank the last of his drink.

“Yeah,” you started hesitantly and turned to Hoseok. “I agree. I’ve been focusing on a lot of the timing instead of anything else.”

Hobi smiled at you. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he assured. “Again, I just noticed that the routine is good technically, but not emotionally. You will both get there soon!”

You gave him a small smile and plopped another fry into your mouth. Hoseok was right and you knew it. Building that connection between you and Jungkook hasn’t even crossed your mind yet. You were so concentrated on not forgetting or messing up a movement.

“Hoseok hyung is a dance major,” Jungkook stated as he set down the rest of his fries. You guessed cold fries weren’t appealing to him. He wasn’t wrong. You started to grow tired of the cold fries, as well. “He’s just in another section. More street dancing like popping, locking, krumping,” he trailed off. Your eyes widened slightly. This cheerful man could move like that? From what you’ve seen, those dancers always looked so intense.

Hoseok chuckled at your express and shrugged. “I like modern, but I just like others better.”

“That’s so cool,” you said. “Ahh, that sounded lame,” you shook your head and brought a hand to your face briefly. “I just, I’ve never really hung out with someone with those skills. I always found that style of dancing so interesting.” 

“Really?” Hoseok said. You nodded.

“How about you show us your midterm, hyung?” Jungkook suggested. “I’m sure Y/N would like to see it. Plus, we showed you ours– well, half of it.”

“That sounds great!” You exclaimed. Hobi chuckled and nodded, standing up and switching Jungkook’s phone with his.

You watched him silently as the music started and Hobi came to the center. His once sunshine smile disappeared as he moved his body to the music, slowly getting lost in the sound. You watched in awe as he began his routine. It was smooth, yet sharp. Each pop of his body hit a beat in the music. He was captivating. It’s like he turned into a completely different person. The routine ended quicker than you wanted.

“Woo!” You cheered and clapped. Jungkook and Hoseok laugh at your reaction. “That was great! You were great!”

“Thank you,” Hobi laughed. “You want to learn some?” 

“I-I’ve never danced like that,” you confessed with wide eyes. He smiled and shrugged. 

“Doesn’t mean you can’t give it a try,” he said and held out his hand. You glanced at Jungkook. You won’t know why you felt you needed his permission. Perhaps it was the fact that you were here to practice your midterm and not Hobi’s. Jungkook smiled and jerked his head toward Hoseok. Your smile widened and you grabbed Hobi’s outstretched hand.

“Okay,” Hobi said, running to where the music was to turn it down before he came next to you again. “Alright, hold your arm out like this.”

You followed him by watching his movement in the mirror. Your right arm was lifted in an L-shape next to your body.

“Good, now try this,” he said and popped his arm. It was a sudden but subtle jerk movement. You rolled your shoulders back and tried, however, you had put too much power into it and your arm did a big jerk in the air. Jungkook laughed loudly and quickly put his hand to his mouth. You pursued your lips at his reaction and brought your hands to your hips. You noticed Hobi holding back laughter and shot them both a glare.

“It’s okay, you’re learning,” Hobi reassured. “Let’s try again.”

The next hour was filled with laughter. You, Jungkook, and Hoseok tried some new moves from each other. You all even had a mini dance party filled with ridiculous dance movements. You had to wipe away your tears from laughter at some point. Man, laughing really was a workout. Your tummy hurt from laughing. 

You were now all walking back to each other’s dorms. You stopped when the building split into the two sections for males and females. 

“I had a really fun time,” you confessed to both of them. Jungkook and Hobi smiled down at you.

“Me too. It was nice meeting you, Y/N. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other,” Hoseok said and gave you a quick side hug.

“Do you want to meet tomorrow for another practice?” Jungkook asked when you parted from Hobi’s hug.

“I’ll need to get back to you. My friends and I were planning to do something this weekend,” you said. You thought about inviting them, but you wanted to ask your friends first. You weren’t sure if your plans were open to guests. Jungkook simply nodded.

“I’m exhausted, so I’ll talk to you both later,” you said. Your feet were aching and you could feel your body becoming weaker.

“Talk to you later,” Jungkook said and gave you a wave as he and Hobi walked to their shared dorm. You learned they were roommates and best friends since high school. You waved back and dragged yourself to your dorm. You were too exhausted to shower. You dropped your bag on your floor, removed your shoes, then fell on top of your bed, and quickly passed out. You were so out cold that you missed your phone ringing.


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the weekend and you, Jimin, Yoongi, and Tae decide to visit Tae’s cabin to get away from the stress of midterms. However, unexpected guests appear, and it only strain’s your and Jimin’s relationship more.

You woke to the sound of glass shattering. Slowly, you peeled your eyes open and stared at your wall. You weren’t fully awake and your eyesight was foggy from sleep. You groaned internally and pushed yourself up when you heard loud voices in another room. You had almost forgotten about the unknown broken glass. 

What was happening?

You made your way outside your bedroom to peer in the living room to see what the commotion was about. Your roommate and her two friends were in a heated discussion and didn’t notice you. Your eyes moved down to see soil and baby blue pieces from what once was a small clay planter pot. 

“Look what you guys did!” Your roommate’s friend’s voice exclaimed, his eyes were wide and gesturing to the mess on the floor. You’ve always heard about these two men from your roommate but never had the chance to meet them since your schedules never aligned.

“What? Us? This was on you!” Your roommate, Seejun, argued. Her other friend nodded in agreement. 

“Yah!” The other roommate said. “If it wasn’t for you pushing us, we wouldn’t have tripped and knocked over the plant.”

“Maybe you should have better balance,” the first huffed. “I just bought that, too.” He pouted and sat on your couch with a loud whine. 

How old were her friends, again? Were they really getting heated over a plant? It’s not like it was dead. It just needed a new home.

“You can just buy a new pot,” you chimed in. All eyes snapped up at you, startled by your sudden appearance. 

“Exactly!” The second friend said, giving you a smile and winking at you. Your face stayed in a neutral expression, though that didn’t seem to affect him.

“But I liked that pot,” the first friend muttered as he hung his head low. 

“Sorry, Y/N, Joonie here is just being dramatic,” Seejun said and patted her friend on the back. Joonie, from what you learned, didn’t respond to you or Seejun’s action. 

“We will get you a better one,” the second friend said and started to pick up the broken pieces carefully. 

“We didn’t mean to wake you,” your roommate said. “But since you’re awake, meet my friends. This is Namjoon,” she gestured to the still-pouting man, “And this is Seokjin,” she finished and nodded toward the man kneeling to the floor. 

You all mumbled your greetings. 

“Well, I’m leaving. Have fun with that,” you announced when silence fell over you all. There was a chorus of byes as you left them. You made your way to the bathroom to brush your teeth. 

When you returned to your room, your phone was ringing. Unfortunately, you had just missed it. The screen changed to your notifications and your eyes widened slightly when you noticed all the missed calls from Jimin. He had just called you again. You quickly dialed him back, worried something bad had happened to him. He picked up in the first ring. 

“Y/N?” His voice rang on the other line. His voice was slightly urgent with a hint of worry.

“Babe? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” You asked in a hurry. 

“Me? What about you? You said you were going to call me last night after your practice.”

You squinted your eyes as you tried to remember when you said that. However, you don’t recall telling him that and you suddenly felt bad. Not just for not calling but also not remembering you said you would. 

“I’m sorry,” you replied, relieved that that was the reason he was calling. “I’m fine. The practice lasted longer and I got back late. I fell asleep as soon as I laid in bed.” You switched him to speaker and set your phone down again. He sighed through the phone. 

“I went to the studios but I didn’t see you in any of them. No one was answering the door either at your dorm,” he commented and you heard rustling in the background. 

“We must’ve missed each other or I was sleeping too deep,” you replied. You realized he must have stayed up late worrying about you. You frowned at that. 

“Yeah,” he said quietly. There was a long silence and you decided to get dressed for the day. You had planned to complete all your homework so you could be worry-free tonight when you met your friends. 

“Do you want to get breakfast together?” He asked after a minute. You had just finished pulling on your t-shirt when he asked. You moved closer to your phone before you replied. 

“That sounds great. When do you want me-“

A knock on his end interrupted your sentence. 

“Ah, one second. baby. Tae isn’t here so I need to answer the door.” Before you could reply, you heard the phone being set down and his footsteps become quieter. You shifted your attention to your jewelry and began adding to your outfit. Your motions stilled when you heard a feminine voice through the call. You glanced down at your phone and moved it closer to you. Unfortunately, Jimin was too far from his phone for you to understand what was being said. A few seconds later, his footsteps became louder and the phone was being picked up again. 

“Jagiya, I’m sorry, but rain check,” Jimin said. You heard more rustling as he moved around his room. 

“What came up?” You asked calmly despite your curiosity about who the person he was talking to was.

“Yun Hee is here. I promised we would practice today. I didn’t realize she would want to do it this early,” he responded hurriedly and you felt your skin heat up.

“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, not giving you enough time to reply. “I’m sorry, again. Bye, baby.”

“Bye, I guess,” you mumbled the last part. You heard him blow a kiss into the air before the call ended. You stared at your phone as your wallpaper appeared. It was of you and Jimin on your third date. He had taken your favorite. 

You sighed to yourself as you raised your gaze at yourself in the mirror. You both said you would trust each other. Nothing would happen. You practiced with Jungkook. You couldn’t force Jimin to not practice with Yun Hee. They were still partners at the end of the day. You stared at yourself in the mirror for a couple of minutes, trying to reassure yourself. You hated feeling jealous. You didn’t understand why Yun Hee being with Jimin made you so envious. Maybe it was the way she looked at him. Maybe it was the way they moved as one that one day in class. They looked so flawless together. And of course, she was pretty, too. You rolled your eyes at yourself as you grew annoyed with your thoughts. 

“Y/N!” You turned your head at your closed door when you heard your name. “Someone’s at the door for you!”

Maybe Jimin canceled his plans and told Yun Hee they’ll practice later. After all, he had just ditched you for her. 

Well, he did promise her he would practice, said the angel on your shoulder. 

He should’ve made clearer plans and figured out a time instead. What if he had answered when he first woke up, shirtless? What if he was shirtless when he answered the door. Was he dressed? These were stupid thoughts. 

“Get your ass here!” Seejun’s voice boomed louder this time. You quickly shook your head at yourself before walking out of your room to see who it was. Hopefully, it was Jimin. 

Seejun and her friends were gathered on the couch while the door was wide open. You hid your frown when you saw it wasn’t Jimin. 

“Hey,” Jungkook said with a smile when he saw you. You gave him a small smile back as you walked toward him. 

“What are you doing here?” You questioned. 

“I’m hungry,” he said. You waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. You raised your eyebrows. 

“And?” 

“And I was hoping you’re hungry, too.” You stared at him as he glanced down at his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. Was he nervous?

“Uh,” you said with a small laugh. “I guess I am. Why?” 

“Well, I wanted to invite you to breakfast with me and Hobi hyung,” he said and looked back at your eyes. Considering your breakfast plans with Jimin were canceled, you didn’t see why not. 

“I’d like that,” you said, flashing him a small smile. 

“Can we come?” Seejun suddenly asked, her hand in the air. Her friends looked eager for your answer. You glanced at Jungkook. It was his original plan after all. He laughed and looked at your friends. 

“I don’t see why not,” Jungkook said. Seejun, Namjoon, and Seokjin cheered and quickly got up and gathered their things. You grabbed your keys and made your way out. 

“Can I get my other friend?” You asked when you stepped out of your dorm. Jungkook shrugged and nodded. One more couldn’t hurt. You smiled, told him you’d be right back, and jogged to your best friend’s dorm. You hoped he was there and already dressed. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Yoongi asked when he opened the door to you. 

“Come get breakfast with me and some friends,” you said and took a quick glance at his clothing. He was already dressed in a simple black hoodie with light-washed ripped jeans. 

“Do I have a choice?” He asked, noticing you hadn’t asked him to come but rather demanded it. You simply replied with a wide smile. He nodded and quickly slipped on a pair of shoes before grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys, and exiting and locking his dorm. You walked back to your dorm with Yoongi by your side. Everyone was filing out of your dorm when you approached. 

“Jungkook, this is Yoongi. Yoongi, Jungkook,” you introduced. They shook hands. 

“Y/N failed to mention I’m her best friend,” Yoongi added. Jungkook chuckled and nodded. 

“I figured since you two would always be together in class. Nice to officially meet you, Yoongi, Y/N’s best friend,” Jungkook greeted. 

“Where’s Hoseok?” You asked Jungkook as your group started walking toward the building exit. 

“He already left to get the car,” he replied and held the door open for you, staying at the door as your friends left. 

“Car?” You asked. You didn’t realize you were leaving campus. You weren’t complaining though. Campus food was better than expected, but you could never say no to something different.

“Yup,” he simply replied. 

“How are we all going to fit?” Yoongi questioned. 

“Uhh,” Jungkook hesitated and glanced back to the lingering three. You didn’t notice that they had made their way behind you. “We’ll just have to squeeze. It’s not a long drive. About five minutes.”

“Why don’t we just walk?” You asked. 

“I’m going back to the dorms if that’s the case,” Yoongi muttered. “You can bring me my food.”

You rolled your eyes at your best friend’s comment and wrapped your arm in his to make sure he didn’t turn back. 

“It’ll be fine,” Jungkook reassured. 

“This is not fine,” Yoongi mumbled.

He was being squished between Namjoon and Jungkook. The other two didn’t seem to care about the tight situation though.

The car was only meant for five people, however, there were seven. Hobi was driving, Seokjin managed to get shotgun- still not sure how he did that, Yoongi was in the middle of the back seat with Jungkook and Namjoon on either side, Seejun on Namjoon’s lap, and you on Jungkook’s. You found yourself grabbing the door’s armrest along with Jungkook’s wrist every time the car would ride over bumpy roads. Jungkook had rested his hands lightly on your hips, only tightening at the bumps. Jungkook didn’t like the idea of you not being buckled so he pulled the belt across the both of you. You felt shy as you sat in his lap with his hands on your hips. You wished your cheeks would stop heating up. With a deep breath, you tried to calm down your quickening heart. You felt ashamed for feeling this way. You were with Jimin. You shouldn’t be getting flustered by being in another man’s lap.

You shouldn’t be in his lap in the first place, said the angel on your shoulder.

You hid your frown and hoped you all arrived soon. Luckily, the ride ended after a minute of more driving. You hurried out the door once Hoseok parked and adjusted your outfit while you waited for everyone to climb out.

“That wasn’t too bad,” Hoseok said, a hint of doubt in his voice. You glanced when you heard Yoongi grumble. You intertwined your arm in his again and gave him a smile. He did not return it.

“Cheer up, Yoongi. It was a short trip,” you talked quietly as you followed everyone inside the breakfast joint.

“Really? It felt like ten years,” he replied sarcastically.

“It wasn’t that bad,” you mumbled. He scoffed– half playfully.

“You’re just saying that because you got to sit in Jungkook’s lap,” he retorted teasingly and your cheeks flushed unwillingly. Fuck, stop that. Yoongi peered at you when you didn’t reply quickly.

“Y/N,” he warned slowly and quietly.

“I know, I know,” you said with a long sigh. You knew he was thinking of your and Jimin’s relationship. “It’s not like that. Jungkook and I are just friends. I wouldn’t do that to Jimin.”

Yoongi nodded, pressing his lips together in thought. “I know you wouldn’t, but is everything between you two okay?”

You thought to earlier when Jimin rain checked on your plans for Yun Hee. “I’ll tell you later,” you replied quickly as your group was being seated. You sat in between Jungkook and Yoongi with Namjoon, Seokjin, and Hoseok across and Seenjun at the head of the table. Surprisingly, everyone fell into conversation easily. Conversations about classes quickly ended, however. With midterms approaching, no one wanted to be stressed during the weekend.

“We should invite them to the cabin,” Yoongi whispered beside you after everyone fell into separate conversations once the waiter left with your orders.

“You think Jimin and Tae would be okay with that?” The thought of inviting your new friend crossed your mind, but you had forgotten about it and failed to bring it up to Jimin earlier. Although you were positive they would be okay with more guests, you still wanted to ask. Yoongi shrugged.

“The more the merrier, right?” He asked with a small smile.

“Are these people growing on you, Min Yoongi?” You questioned with a small smirk. Yoongi was an introvert, so being around a lot of strangers wasn’t his ideal environment. You figured he would stay silent during breakfast, but he was not. He especially got along with Hoseok, which stunned you considering their different personalities. 

He rolled his eyes at your question. “I just think it’d be nice,” he replied. “So what do you say?”

“I supposed we could,” you said as you shrugged your shoulders. He smiled at your response before turning to everyone at the table and inviting them. It was no surprise from the positive response. Everyone was on board and eager for today’s trip. 

“Do you know what time we’ll get back?” Jungkook asked you. You hummed as you took a second to think about it.

“Probably sometime in the afternoon? I’m sure some people will need time to finish stuff before Monday.”

“When did you want to practice?” He asked. “We still haven’t choreographed our part.” You frowned at his comment, forgetting that although you two practiced, you still needed more.

“Right,” you sighed. “Maybe we can practice before we leave today, at the cabin, and when we get back? That should be enough, yeah?” You knew it was going to be a tight schedule, but truthfully, you needed to get off-campus. Maybe dancing in a new environment would help not feel so stressed about the routine. Jungkook nodded and agreed. Both of you decided to quickly pack when you got back then practice until it was time to go. Not long after your and Jungkook’s conversation, the food arrived and everyone fell silent as you all ate.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” you announced to no one in particular as you all waited for the receipt to arrive. While walking from the bathroom, you stopped at a familiar voice.

“Y/N?”

Your eyes widened when you turn to see the all too familiar plump lips with too-perfect hair. It took a few seconds to remember he was supposedly practicing with Yun Hee right now.

“What are you doing here?” You asked in confusion as you stared up at Jimin. He stood there awkwardly, shoving his hands into his sweat pockets.

“Yun Hee said she needed food before she could practice and suggested this place,” he replied. You couldn’t help the thousands of questions that formed in your head. Why couldn’t they practice after eating breakfast then? Did Jimin promise her to eat breakfast with her, too? Did Yun Hee purposely drag Jimin with her? Was Jimin enjoying himself more with her than if he went with you?

Jimin could see the turmoil in your eyes as you zoned out. He had a feeling this would happen. He quickly grabbed your hands and pulled you to a vacant corner of the restaurant. It wasn’t entirely secluded, but it was enough to not be able to see your table. You removed your hands from him, hating the way your hands felt cold without his touch but not wanting to be touched by him at the moment.

“I didn’t know she was going to ask me to eat breakfast with her,” he assured, keeping his eyes locked on yours. “We were headed to the practice rooms but she suddenly dragged me out of the building. I couldn’t really say no,” he trailed off. 

“You could’ve,” you replied quietly. Jimin’s lips turned down and he let out a sigh. He raised an arm up and ran his fingers through his soft locks. You watched as his hair fell back into place and his arms bulged slightly. You wondered if he ever had those days where he looked ugly. You highly doubted it.

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to be rude and I didn’t see the harm in it,” he spoke slowly as he tried to choose his words carefully. He hated having arguments, especially with you. He didn’t like making you feel upset, but also didn’t like unresolved problems. It was something like you admired about him. He spoke through his issues in a calm manner and rarely raised his voice. You tried to have the same mindset but you sometimes found yourself lashing out. You took a deep breath as you tried to not sound rude.

“Did you forget you had asked me to breakfast this morning? Before you ditched me for her?” There were the green-eyes that were destined to come out. You felt hurt that not only did he leave you, but he left to eat breakfast with another girl. Even if it wasn’t planned.

“Of course not, baby,” he reached for your hands again but stopped when you shifted away from him. “I didn’t ditch you. I told you I had-”

“Promised you would practice with her. I got it,” you huffed.

“Please don’t be like that,” Jimin sighed again. He was getting agitated. I didn’t know she would want breakfast. I didn’t have the chance to call you and ask.”

You hummed in reply and crossed your arms over your chest. You still didn’t approve what he did. He could have told Yun Hee he had already planned breakfast with you and politely declined her offer. Instead, he ate breakfast with someone else after asking you.

“What are you thi-”

“Y/N?”

For the second time, you turned to a familiar voice calling your name. Jimin instantly moved closer to you but respected your space by not touching you.

“Hey, sorry, I got caught up,” you said, slowing your words at the end. Jungkook stood a few feet from you and Jimin.

“I see that,” he said, taking in Jimin’s protective stance. “We already paid and were heading out. Are we still going to practice before we leave?” He wasn’t sure if you were going to be leaving with Jimin instead of him.

“I’ll pay you back,” you replied, not meaning to have someone pay for your meal. Jungkook shook his head.

“It’s fine, I was planning to pay for you anyway,” he said. Jimin stayed silent as he watched the two of you.

“What did you mean by you two leaving?” Jimin spoke up, intrigued by where you two were going besides the dance studio.

“Y/N invited me to your roommate’s cabin,” Jungkook replied as if it wasn’t a big deal, however to Jimin, it was. He glanced down at you, but you didn’t look back at him. You could feel his eyes on the back of your head and it made you feel guilty. You had wanted to tell Jimin and Tae about the new guests yourself. 

“I’ll see you in the car in a minute,” you said quickly as you felt the tension rise. Jungkook nodded, taking a few steps backward before turning on his heel and exiting the building.

“So you’re upset with me because I’m eating breakfast with Yun Hee while you went out with Jungkook and invited him to Tae’s place?” Jimin asked bitterly behind you. You turned around to reply but was interrupted by another voice.

“Jimin, is everything okay?” 

You scoffed silently at Yun Hee’s voice, not bothering to turn around. “The difference is I wasn’t alone with him,” you bit out quietly, annoyed with being interrupted by the last person you wanted to see or hear. “I’ll see you later,” you concluded curtly before he could reply, walking away from Jimin and ignoring Yun Hee’s perplexed expression. You willed yourself to not look back, hoping for Jimin to run after you and reassure you more despite your attitude, but he didn’t. 

And you couldn’t blame him.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Yoongi and Jungkook kept sending you worried glances. While Yoongi didn’t understand why you were upset, he could tell from your change in mood that something happened. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Jungkook or something else. However, he figured it wasn’t Jungkook since you didn’t seem distant from him.

Even though you were upset with Jimin, you decided to not sit in Jungkook’s lap on the ride home. You were sitting in the front passenger seat while Jin was squished awkwardly between Jungkook and Yoongi. Though it was more of Yoongi sitting half on the seat and half in Jin’s lap. Needless to say, he did not look pleased.

As soon as you arrived back on campus, everyone quickly packed since the plan was to leave in three hours. You and Jungkook agreed to pack in 45 minutes then meet in the same practice room. Since it was just one night and two days, you didn’t need to pack a lot.

“Sorry about earlier,” Jungkook said as soon as you entered the studio. You set down your bag with a sigh and nodded.

“Thanks, but it wasn’t your fault. We should get started since we don’t have a lot of time.” You didn’t want to waste time discussing this with him. It wasn’t his problem anyway. You simply wanted to practice and put all your focus on that. Jungkook stared at you for a few seconds before apologizing again and getting started with a quick warm-up and stretching.

The time went fast as expected. You spent the full two hours perfecting and choreographing your partner section. While the class choreography was fine, the partner section now needed work. Surprisingly, you both were able to choreograph the thirty seconds needed. It wasn’t a lot, but you were nervous you would both have creative blocks. However, you were impressed with Jungkook’s creativity. The input he provided fitted the music and flowed smoothly with the instructor’s choreography. He had suggested movements that you had never done before and would never have thought of. 

“It’s time to go,” Jungkook said between breaths after checking the time on his phone. He pulled out the aux and gathered his bag. You didn’t realize two hours had passed and you were supposed to meet Yoongi, Jimin, and Tae. You pulled out your bag and were met with three missed calls from Yoongi and ten messages from Tae. There was nothing from Jimin.

“How are you getting there?” You asked as you both walked to the dorms to grab your belongings for the trip. You realized that you both should’ve brought your bags to the practice room, so you didn’t have to walk back. Oh well. 

“Hoseok hyung and I decided to catch a ride with your friends if that’s okay with you,” he added the last part quickly, reaching his arm up to rub the back of his neck. You smiled at his nervousness.

“That’s fine, Koo,” you said, the nickname falling off your tongue without a second thought. Jungkook’s footsteps faltered at the name and glanced down at you. His lips twitched as he tried to hide his smile.

“Koo,” he repeated, testing out his new name. “I like it.”

“Good,” you replied with a small laugh. “I like using it.”

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

The car ride to Taehyung’s cabin was uncomfortable.

Yoongi and Tae weren’t oblivious to the tension between you and Jimin. However, it was hard to ignore since you both were seated as far away as possible in the back seats. The whole point of this weekend getaway was to be able to let loose and feel stressed-free before midterms. You had all agreed to visit Tae’s cabin that he had gotten himself with his saved money. He was extremely proud of it and cherished it like it was his child. You couldn’t blame him, though, it was beautiful and he didn’t get any help from anyone to pay for it. Luckily, Tae was fine with having more people coming over. Jimin, on the other hand, was still upset that you invited more people. You figured he was more upset with the fact Jungkook was coming rather than inviting more people.

As soon as Tae parked the car, he made sure the doors were locked before turning to the backseat. He didn’t want anyone to leave yet. 

“Look, I don’t know exactly why you are giving each other the silent treatment, but please get it together,” Taehyung said sternly yet gently. He didn’t want to come off rude, but he didn’t want to have to sit through more awkwardness this weekend.

“We came here to have fun, not sit around in insufferable silence,” he glanced between the both of you to see if either of you were going to stop being stubborn.

“I’ll try,” Jimin finally said but still didn’t glance your way.

“I’ll try,” you repeated, but your tone said otherwise. Tae sighed, quickly giving up and exiting the car after he unlocked his door and his door only.

“Come on, Y/N, let’s go pick our room,” Yoongi said, trying to change the subject. You nodded, manually unlocking your door and climbing out. Originally, you and Jimin were going to share a room, but after the events that transpired, that was a definite no-go.

Jungkook and the others arrived thirty minutes later. There were just enough rooms for everyone to share a room with another. Unfortunately, Namjoon, Seokjin, and Seejun had to share a room. The bed wasn’t big enough for all three so they played rock-paper-scissors to decide who was going to sleep on the couch. Poor Namjoon lost in the first round.

As soon as you arrived, you had taken a shower. You had practiced too late with Jungkook to have time to take a shower earlier.

The ride to the cabin took two hours and by the time the rest of them came, the sun was already setting and it was time for dinner.

“Namjoon, what the hell are you doing?” You heard as you came out of your room after changing and briefly drying your hair. Namjoon was standing in front of the island in the kitchen, a knife, and an onion in his hands.

“I’m cutting an onion, what does it look like?” Joon replied with a huff. Seokjin shook his head in disappointment. 

“It looks like you’re petting it with the knife,” Jin said as he stirred the contents in his skillet.

“I’ll do it,” Yoongi mumbled, gently pushing Namjoon aside and slicing the onion quickly. It was done in a matter of seconds. You scanned the kitchen quickly to see what else was happening. Jungkook was opening a pack of ramen in front of a pot of boiling water, Tae and Seejun were setting up the table, and Hoseok and Jimin were outside cooking meat. You weren’t sure what to do.

“Hey Y/N,” Yoongi said when he noticed you standing near. You greeted him and walked toward him.

“Everything looks good,” you complimented as you watched Yoongi sliced onions get added to Jin’s pan. Yoongi nodded in agreement.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. You looked at the door in confusion. “Did someone invite someone else?” You asked and looked at everyone around you.

“Oh, yeah, I think Jimin invited someone. He asked when he got back and I figured it was okay,” Taehyung said as he grabbed some glasses. “Do you mind getting it?”

You agreed and walked toward the door. You hoped the person you were thinking of was not behind the door. Did he really invite her?

Slowly, you unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Of course.

“Oh, hey, Y/N. I wasn’t expecting you,” Yun Hee said, her eyes wide as she saw you. Your eyes scanned her face for a few seconds before humming a reply. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be here?” You couldn’t help the bitterness that came with the question. Were you really succumbing to jealousy? You groaned internally, telling yourself to get a grip. Yun Hee shifted her gaze awkwardly.

“No reason,” she said as she peered over your shoulder at the rest of the party. You realized you were standing in her way and stepped aside. She gave you a small smile as she walked past and greeted the others. You closed the door and your shoulders dropped, momentarily bowing your head as you took in several breaths. Did she really have to act so nicely toward you? You wanted to find some other excuse to not like her besides the fact you felt she was getting between you and Jimin. 

“So this is what the silent treatment is about,” a deep voice said behind you. You snapped your head up and looked up at Taehyung. No point in denying it. It was probably written all over your voice.

“It doesn’t-” you started.

“Bullshit,” Tae interjected. “If it didn’t matter then you wouldn’t be sulking against the door.”

He grabbed your wrist and pulled you into the living room, sitting you down on the couch and taking the spot next to you. He spoke quietly since the others were in the next room.

“Care to talk about it?” He asked gently.

“No,” you replied firmly. Tae narrowed his eyes at you.

“Well your mood is ruining mine, so spill it. It’ll make you feel better,” he said. You rolled your eyes at his response.

“Gee, you’re welcome,” you grumbled and fumbled with the ends of your shorts.

“Come on, Y/N,” Tae knocked his knee against yours softly. “Jimin is my best friend, but I hate seeing you upset, too.”

You bit your lower lip in thought. You didn’t know what to say without sounding like a whiny, jealous baby. You were probably just that, though. And a bitch on top of it.

“Jimin was really upset when he came back from his practice with Yun Hee,” Tae confessed when you didn’t reply.

“Hm.”

“I’m guessing something happened between you two because of Yun Hee?” Tae started speculating, trying to figure out the problem by what little he’s been seeing.

“Something like that,” you said and kept your gaze down.

“You know he didn’t cheat, right?” Tae said, lowering his face to try to get you to look at him. “He isn’t that type of person. Never has been and never will be.”

You wanted to believe that. Before Yun Hee, he has never shown disloyalty. After every time you had second-guessed his intentions with you, he proved his faithfulness. So why couldn’t you get past him and Yun Hee? 

“He wasn’t happy about Jungkook coming,” Tae continued, glancing at Jungkook stirring the near-finished ramen.

“Well, I’m not happy Yun Hee came,” you retorted. Tae snorted and you shot a glare at him.

“You sound like a child, Y/N,” Taehyund said. You were about to reply, but he brought a finger up to silence you. “He probably did that because of Jungkook.”

“That’s childish of him then,” you said, feeling defensive. Did Jimin really steep that low to bring Yun Hee here? To what? Make you even more jealous? Try to get you back for inviting Jungkook? Was he really being that petty?

“Maybe so,” Tae said and leaned back slightly. “But can you blame him? You’ve barely been spending time with the man.”

“What?” You scoffed. “I tried spending time with him this morning, but he ditched me for her,” you replied, voice getting heavy with anger quickly. Tae noticed and leaned closer to you again, trying to ensure no one overheard your conversation.

“You know he didn’t ditch you on purpose. He made a promise and that so happened to include breakfast,” he said lowly. You rolled your eyes.

“Then why did he ask me to get breakfast if he knew he was going to take Yun Hee instead?” You questioned with a scowl on your face. 

“Touche,” Tae said. “But as he said, breakfast wasn’t planned. Neither breakfast was planned, mind you,” he added quickly. You took a moment to think about what he said. You supposed you didn’t actually plan to have breakfast with Jimin today. It was a spur of the moment situation. 

“But it still hurt to see him with someone else after he invited me,” you finished your thought out loud.

“I understand that, but have you ever thought that’s how Jimin felt when you invited Jungkook to our weekend getaway,” Tae replied calmly. 

“I didn’t invite just Jungkook,” you argued. “Plus, Yoongi technically invited them.”

Great, now you’re blaming your best friend for something you had already had in mind.

“That’s not the point. He’s still here and you could’ve rejected Yoongi’s suggestion to invite them,” Tae argued back. He was making valid points and it irritated you. Like most people, being wrong never made you feel great.

“I would’ve felt bad. He looked really happy to befriend more people,” you replied and glanced at Yoongi smiling at something Namjoon said.

“You know what that reminds me of?” Taehyung questioned but didn’t wait for your answer. “It sounds like when Jimin agreed to Yun Hee’s breakfast offer because he would’ve felt bad about saying no.”

You stared at Taehyung as he spoke. Your lips turned into a frown as he reversed your statement.

“Look, I think you both need to sit down and talk this through. You’re obviously both upset with each other’s partner and whatever conversations you had previously did not help,” Tae said as he got ready to stand up. “Oh, and I suggest doing it sooner rather than later. Seriously, your mood sucks.”

With that, he left you alone on the couch with your thoughts as he went back to Seejun. Yun Hee had taken his place and was helping Seejun set the table. You sat there and stared back down at your lap, taking in the conversation you just had with Taehyung. 

“Hey Y/N,” a cheerful voice greeted you. Hobi came and leaned against the back of the couch, arms folded. His lips were up in a smile and you couldn’t stop the small smile that formed. Damn his contagious smile. If Hoseok was inside, did that mean Jimin was, too? Your eyes quickly scanned the room and spotted Jimin and Yun Hee smiling as they finished setting the table. You took a deep breath, pushed aside your real feelings, and replied.

“Hey, Hobi. I feel like we haven’t had the chance to talk in a while,” you said. Although you had breakfast with him earlier, his attention was too divided to have a proper chat. He chuckled and agreed.

“Jungkooksi said the performance is looking better,” he replied. “I can’t wait to see it,” he said.

“See it?” You asked. When would he be seeing it?

“Well, duh, I’m coming to your practice tomorrow.” You raised an eyebrow at this, questioning his statement.

“I don’t recall this information,” you laughed and turned your attention to him more.

“That’s because I didn’t discuss it with you or Jungkook,” Hoseok said. “I promise to be there as help and not a distraction.”

You hummed as you debated this. You had already made up your mind and was okay with Hobi coming (he did offer great advice after all), but he didn’t need to know this.

“Fine, I guess I will allow you to come to our practice,” you said, hiding your smile.

“What?!” Your best friend exclaimed as he plopped down next to you on the couch. “Did I mishear or did you just say he could come to your practice?”

“You heard right, Min Yoongi,” Hoseok said with a big smile. Yoongi turned to you and gave you a fake angry look.

“When I asked you, you said I couldn’t because I would distract you,” Yoongi said toward you with a frown.

“Well, Hoseok gives good constructive criticism,” you defended. 

“I can give good constructive criticism,” Yoongi replied quickly. Hoseok chuckled as he enjoyed the conversation between you two.

“He’s a dance major so his advice is actually helpful. A ‘you look like your left foot is nonexistent’ is not helpful advice,” you counter. Hoseok laughed loudly, covering his mouth as he used the couch as leverage to support himself. You couldn’t help the pride that came by hearing Hoseok laugh that loudly at something you said. As if his laughter was validation you were indeed a funny person. 

“Okay, but I would still like to go,” Yoongi said, looking at you with big eyes and his bottom lip sticking out. 

“You have to bring me my favorite snack,” you said. Yoongi tilted his head in confusion.

“I thought you couldn’t bring food-”

“That doesn’t matter. You bring my favorite snack and I’ll permit you access,” you said sternly. Yoongi sighed but agreed, smiling wide when you both shook on it. Hoseok giggled at the deal, raising his hand to give Yoongi a high-five.

“Dinner’s ready!” Taehyung shouted, ending your conversation. Yoongi pulled you up from the couch and the three of you headed toward the dining room.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Although you and Jimin were still giving each other the silent treatment, the rest of the group was engaging in conversations and laughing with another. You and Jimin conversed with everyone except for each other, avoiding any questions that could lead you to the two of you talking or even looking at each other. Taehyung silently glared at the both of you from time to time. You tried to ignore his stares, but they were too intense. Although the conversations were flowing non-stop, they only became background music to you. You only heard pieces of conversations such as Seokjin having to sleep in the living room with Namjoon since Yun Hee was Seejun’s new roommate. Namjoon teased Seokjin about how this was karma for Seokjin bragging about winning rock-paper-scissors earlier.

You ate your food as your mind raced with what Taehyung told you earlier. Maybe he was right that those previous conversations you had with Jimin did nothing to assure you. You were also being a hypocrite and being overly jealous without reason. Jimin isn’t that type of person to cheat. If you couldn’t trust Jimin, then why were you with him?

Throughout the two years of your relationship, you never felt so hopeless before. You didn’t understand what had changed to make you so paranoid. Yun Hee wasn’t the first girl to make your blood boil with jealousy. Why were you letting her affect you so much? You realized you had been frowning at your food and quickly glanced up to see if anyone noticed. Your gaze met his easily and you couldn’t stop the way your heart clutched at his stare. It wasn’t rough. It was soft and longing. Perhaps there was even sadness if you looked hard enough. 

Jimin didn’t tear his gaze from yours for the longest time. You both sat there, unmoving as unspoken words passed between you two. Your body suddenly felt cold from missing his warm touch. You had almost forgotten about the situation. 

“Are you okay?” A voice interrupted your thoughts. You turned and saw Jungkook was leaning toward you, his eyebrows knitted together with worry.

“Yeah,” you lied. “I’m just a little tired.” 

Jungkook kept his gaze on you, debating if he should call out your lie or not. He decided against it and you were relieved. Not only was it not his problem to resolve, but it was also not a dinner-table talk.

“I’m sure they would understand if you went to bed early,” he said gently. You shook your head politely. You didn’t want to make your saddening emotions obviously, at least more obvious than they already were to some.

“I’ll be okay,” you tried to reassure. You felt his hand pat your thigh under the table and you jumped at the sudden feel of his heated hand on your cold leg. He chuckled softly and retracted his hand.

“Sorry,” he mumbled before he averted his attention. You glanced back up to see if Jimin was watching, however, he was not. He was whispering to Yun Hee. You watched silently as they exchanged smiles, chatting quickly before returning to their meals. Jimin didn’t look back at you after his conversation with Yun Hee. You weren’t sure how you felt about that. Whether you were glad he didn’t turn to catch you looking at him or if you were hoping he would. The food on your plate suddenly didn’t seem appetizing and you found yourself moving around your food aimlessly while the people around you continued to talk amongst themselves.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Sometimes you wished you didn’t live in such an urban area. While the night sky was pretty, it wasn’t anything like this. It seemed the moon was brighter and the stars emerged from hiding. You wished your phone could capture this moment, but no picture could do the sight in front of you justice. It was something only meant to be seen with your own eyes and not through a screen.

You sat on a rock overlooking the nearby lake. You always found an eerie contrast between the night sky and the dark waters. Although the sky reflected on the water, the water was still dark. You couldn’t help the feeling of something lurking in the deep waters. A chill ran down your back at the mere thought of something swimming toward you and grabbing you. 

You jumped when you felt someone sit next to you on the rock you were sitting on. What was he doing out here?

“It’s mesmerizing, isn’t he?” Namjoon asked with a small smile on his lips, however, his gaze was not on you but on the moon. You noticed the way his eyes looked happier when he stared up. It was as if the stars made him happy instantly. 

“Yeah, it is,” you replied quietly and looked back up at the moon, the unnerving thought of the water disappearing. 

You both sat in silence for a long time, lost in your own thoughts, but enjoying the others company. You haven’t known Namjoon for long, but you felt you could get used to his presence easily. It wasn’t that awkward silence that you usually felt between strangers. His silence was comforting. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked randomly and turned to look at you. You sighed and felt your shoulders slump.

“I wish people would stop asking me that,” you murmured. Namjoon was about to apologize but stopped when you narrowed your eyes at him. You didn’t want to hear an apology either. 

“We can’t help it. You look so gloomy,” he replied. You tried to hide your frown so you couldn’t prove his point, but he saw the twitch in the corner of your lips. He decided to change the topic to get your mind off of your troubles. Slowly, a smile formed on his lips, his dimples making an appearance. “Do you know how to skip rocks?”


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for your midterm presentation. Despite the countless hours of practice, you still didn’t feel ready. The combination of emotions was overwhelming you and you suddenly wanted to find closure. You were worried your emotions were in such disarray that it would negatively affect your performance. On top of that, Jimin was still avoiding you and you needed to do something before your relationship was ruined beyond saving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! I hope you enjoyed this adventure. I’m proud that I pushed through and finished this series since I rarely finish my works (I’m awful). Thank you so much for reading and for giving my writing a chance. I didn’t mean to write this much. (Fun fact: I deleted all this by accident and I thought I lost it all. Thankfully, I didn’t, but it sure gave me a fright haha). Also, It’s hard to describe dance moves sometimes so I hope I made it (somewhat) clear hehe.

“We need to do that again,” you spoke, slightly out of breath with your hands on your hips. The sun was just beginning to rise behind you as you stood next to Jungkook near where you were last night with Namjoon. You and Jungkook had agreed yesterday to meet early to get some practice in before you had to leave for campus again. You had found a flat area next to the lake and had suggested the spot since it was far enough to not disturb the others with your noise. Plus the view was glorious and you were hoping it would calm you. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t succeed. You were stressed. 

“We’ve done it eight times already. I think we got it,” Jungkook said and took a sip of his water. You couldn’t tell if it was from being tired, stressed, or annoyed with your boyfriend that you were so frustrated with the littlest things. You had been practicing with Jungkook for already thirty minutes with no stops, but you still weren’t satisfied with anything. 

“It isn’t good enough. Mrs. Seung will be nitpicking everything,” you replied and reached for his phone to play the music again. He was quicker, though, and snatched the phone and raised it above his head. You reached up quickly, trying to grab it before it got out of your reach. Unfortunately, he was faster and you stood there like a child with their arm up on their tip-toes.

You dropped your arm with a huff and glared at him. Why do tall people do this to short people? They are abusing their powers. “We don’t have enough time to be playing games, Jungkook.”

“What happened to Koo?” He asked, teasingly, his hand still raised.

“You only get called that when you’re being good.”

“I am being good. We need a break. I’m helping,” he said and stepped away from you. He put out his other arm when you followed him. “No, no, Y/N. We’re taking a ten-minute break.”

“Five,” you argued, knowing that you weren’t going to win. He chuckled and nodded.

“Okay, five minutes.”

You grabbed your water bottle and took a drink, watching him as you did so. He simply smiled at you, slowly lowering his arm and checking something on his phone.

“Have you been enjoying yourself?” You asked as silence loomed over you both. He peeked up from his phone.

“Anything is better than staying in the dorms,” he said, typing something then sliding his phone in the pockets of his sweats.

“True, but how do you like the cabin?” You reached up and fixed your ponytail as you spoke.

“It’s spacious. Taehyung wouldn’t stop gushing about it last night,” he said with a small laugh. “I can’t blame him, though. It’s impressive.”

You hummed in agreement and averted your attention to the water. In the morning light, the water wasn’t as spooky. You sat silently, allowing your breath to ease, and your body to relax. You didn’t stay there long, though, standing up after a few moments. 

Five minutes had surely passed and it was time to get started again. You needed more time to get your mind off of everything. Simply staring at the water was nice, but it didn’t stop your thoughts. Could anything stop your thoughts? You hated the feeling in your chest. The feeling of regret, pride, stubbornness, disappointment all mixed together.

“We have a minute left,” Jungkook said when you started to reach for his phone again. You looked up at him and stared at him.

“It’s close enough. Let’s get going,” you grabbed for his phone again but he stopped you with his other hand on your wrist. His grip was gentle but firm enough to hold you in place.

“Our routine is stellar. You’re just being picky,” he said, half teasing you while keeping his hand on you. You glanced down at his hand on you. Your skin underneath was heating from his stilled hand. Goosebumps raced up your arm and you suddenly wondered if Jimin’s skin reacted the same when Yun Hee touched him.

“It’s been five minutes now,” Jungkook said gently, interrupting your thoughts. He let go of your wrist and started the music. Your wrist grew cold from the lack of heat and you suddenly missed it. The feeling of his strong fingers wrapped around your wrist. Oddly, you wished it was Jimin’s hands instead. 

You both spent the next two hours practicing and perfecting the routine, focusing on the new partner section since that was the newest addition. Although you had a lot on your mind, it helped fuel your motivation. If you were focused on the routine, you weren’t focused on the other issues. Unlike before in class, you didn’t let those thoughts cloud your mind. You found a safe place while you danced with Jungkook. Despite your limbs feeling sore, you didn’t want to stop. You knew if you did, those thoughts would come flooding in. However, Jungkook was growing tired and insisted you both call it a day for practice since you were already planning to practice later tonight on campus. You couldn’t wait for this midterm to be over tomorrow.

You couldn’t deny the sadness that loomed over you as you helped make breakfast with everyone. Jimin would move toward you, looking as if he was going to tell you something, but retreated after a few seconds of hesitation.

You were being petty. You knew it, but your pride held you back from talking to him. You wanted to talk through this, Tae’s words eating away at you, but you couldn’t help the frustration that came with the thoughts of him and Yun Hee. You were also worried that you wouldn’t be able to talk civilly to him. The mere thought of them infuriated you and you were sure you were going to explode and say things you didn’t mean.

You spent the rest of the morning and the ride back to campus lost in your thoughts. You tried to interact with others, but you couldn’t focus and gave up. Your friends grew worried, trying to talk to you, but ended up leaving you to the mayhem inside your mind when you brushed them off. Were you being selfish for being secluded in your own world? Probably. Were you overreacting? Probably. You knew what you needed to do and you planned to suck it up and talk to Jimin. It’s been too long since you heard his voice directed to you. Been too long since he called you baby or jagiya, hearing his Busan dialect slip and making your heart flip at the sound of it. Been too long since his hands were on you and his lips pressing against yours.

You would be lying if you didn’t admit that part of you were waiting for Jimin to make the first move. However, he hasn’t, and you wondered if he ever would or if you two would drift away to the point a verbal breakup wasn’t necessary. You two would just know. You hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Although it would tear you apart, you needed the verbal confirmation. You needed the closure that came with it. Sometimes you felt breaking up would be the easiest solution. However, the feeling that came with the thought of it made you falter. The way your heart tightened and your breathing stopped when you imagined a life without Jimin.

You knew you had to do something to fix this.

With this in mind, you were walking down the various dance practice rooms. You had gone to Jimin’s dorm but was greeted by Taehyung and him alone. He had told you Jimin had just left a few minutes ago to practice with Yun Hee. The feeling of envy erupted in your chest but you choked it down. If you succumb to that feeling, this cycle would never end. Plus, you were going to practice with Jungkook soon. You needed to stop these hypocritical thoughts. 

The hallway felt as if it was never-ending. Your feet dragged along the hardwood, passing several empty rooms. When you got to a closed door, you peeked into the small window on the door, moving onto the next when you didn’t see Jimin or Yun Hee. After checking two other rooms, you finally spotted your boyfriend. Your hand was on the door handle, ready to push it open when Jimin pulled Yun Hee against his chest. You could hear the faint sound of music from the room but it wasn’t clear enough to tell if it was the routine’s song. Was this part of their choreography?

You were frozen as you watched Yun Hee’s lips curl up into a smile, pressing her hands against his chest and slowly moving them up until they were wrapped around Jimin’s neck. Jimin was staring down at her. He wasn’t smiling at first but after Yun Hee spoke, he grinned. They spoke for a few more minutes, though it felt like years before Yun Hee moved a hand to caress his face and started to lean forward. Was this really happening? Your heart was racing as you watched the two of them. You wanted to shove the door open. You wanted them to know they were caught. You wanted Jimin to know he had hurt you. Though you did none of those actions. You simply stared, wide-eyed becoming blurry, as you watched in slow motion as she leaned toward Jimin. Before you could catch their faces getting any closer, a hand was set on your shoulder. You jumped, quickly turning and moving away from the door.

Jungkook stared at you, a mixture of confusion and happiness in his eyes.

“I didn’t think we were going to meet until thirty minutes?” He asked. He was happy to see you but was perplexed at your early appearance.

“Oh, I,” you stuttered. You didn’t want him to know you had just caught your boyfriend with another girl in his arms. “I figured I should practice by myself so I was ready for our practice.”

He chuckled, eyes raising to view into the room you were looking into, but you quickly grabbed his hand and moved him away. 

“But since you’re here, let’s start early,” you said quickly and pushed him down the hall.

“Wha-?” He started but let you move him anyway. “Okay,” he said slowly, giving in to your shoves and glancing at you before heading toward an empty room on his own.

You wanted to follow Jungkook without a second glance, but you couldn’t stop your eyes from wandering into the room again. Jimin and Yun Hee were no longer in each other’s embrace. They had moved to grab their water and appeared to be taking a break. Letting out a sigh, you turned and made your way to Jungkook. If you were gone for too long, he’d come looking for you. 

“Did you have anything specific you wanted to focus on today?” Jungkook asked when you entered the room. You realized you didn’t come with your bag and wouldn’t have anything to drink. Remembering Yoongi was going to come with Hoseok later, you quickly sent a message to him asking for a bottle of water. 

“Oh, uh, I was just hoping to review the details to ensure our movements are precise,” you said while typing out your message to Yoongi.

“That sounds good,” he paused. “I was hoping we could also just sit and talk for a bit.”

You glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Koo, you know our presentation is tomorrow. We don’t have much time to spare.”

“I understand, but we haven’t had the chance to get to know each other,” Jungkook said, a little nervous you wouldn’t agree.

“What does that have to do with our routine?” You asked and instantly frowned when you realized how that might have come off. If Jungkook was upset, he didn’t show it.

“We lack emotion, remember?” He replied. “I thought since we’re early, we can use this time to build that connection then we can have Hobi hyung and Yoongi critique us.”

You thought for a second, taking in his words and assessing the situation. Having the presentation tomorrow was making you anxious and all you wanted to do was practice until it was perfect. However, in order for it to be perfect, you needed the emotional appeal. Sighing in defeat, you nodded and laid on the floor. You moved an arm to rest over your eyes to block out the light. You waited while you listened to Jungkook shuffle across the floor before you heard a soft click, the lights in the room turning off. A small smile of satisfaction formed on your lips, but you kept your arm covering your face– too lazy to move it.

“What did you want to talk about?” You asked, feeling Jungkook lay down next to you. Although he wasn’t touching you, he was close enough for you to feel his body heat.

He hummed as he thought. “Why did you major in dance? I know people consider it a useless degree.”

You stayed silent for a moment as you tried to find the right words. It wasn’t that you didn’t know the reason, but you didn’t want to say anything too cheesy. Though you figured Jungkook wouldn’t care. 

“It was my getaway- I mean, it is my getaway. Something I can focus on and it takes me to this place in my mind where I feel everything is okay. It’s almost therapeutic in some way,” you began. Jungkook stayed quiet as you spoke. “It’s so much more than moving your body to music as some might think. It’s becoming who you want to be- whether it’s you or someone else. It’s acting without words, which I find really powerful,” you realized you had been rambling and forgot to answer his question. You quickly added, “In short, I chose it because it’s my passion.”

The only sound in the room was from the AC. Jungkook hadn’t made a movement or noise in a while and you wondered if he had fallen asleep. You slowly moved your arm from your eyes and turned your head to the side to peer at him. To your surprise, he was already staring at you. Even in the darkness, his eyes shined. You couldn’t quite make out what was in his eyes, but it seemed like admiration. That was silly, though.

“Was that too cliche?” You asked after a second of staring at each other. His lips quirked up in a grin, that cute bunny smile showing.

“No,” he chuckled. “It was nice. It’s interesting to hear others stories.”

“Well, what’s yours?” You asked, shifting to be on your side so you could face him. He continued to smile at you, expecting the question.

“Ahh, I actually didn’t have a passion for it at first. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t something I could see myself pursuing. However, after Hoseok hyung started to get me to dance more, I realized it was a form of art. I started practicing with him and some other people and thus my passion grew,” he said, adding a playful tone toward the end. Although his story was much more simplistic than yours, you enjoyed it. You believed people didn’t need elaborate reasoning to enjoy something. You smiled at him and you found yourself enjoying his company more than you thought you would. Jungkook was always that person that was easy to talk to. Part of you wondered if after the presentation tomorrow would you still be friends.

The two of you fell into conversation effortlessly. As the minutes passed by, you became grateful for Jungkook to suggest this talk. It was nice to talk about something other than the turmoil in your mind or the presentation. You weren’t sure how long you and Jungkook talked, laying on the floor with the lights off. It felt as if it were ten minutes, but when the door opened and you checked your phone, you had seen it had been twenty minutes.

“Is nap time part of your routine now?” A teasing voice bounced around the room while the lights fluttered on. You and Jungkook blinked several times, trying to adjust to the new lighting.

“Can you believe this? They were napping!” Hoseok said to Yoongi as they entered the room, shutting the door behind them.

“We weren’t napping,” you huffed as you sat up, slowly raising to your feet after a second. “We were working on the midterm.”

“So how many eight counts did you change to just lay on the floor?” Hoseok asked and took a seat on the floor, his back against the mirror wall.

“We were building our connection, as you said,” Jungkook defended and stood up. Hoseok stared at you two, debating to believe you guys or not.

“I guess I’ll see when I watch the routine,” Hoseok shrugged, though a small smile was on his lips. You turned to Yoongi and reached a hand out to him.

“My snack?” You asked, remembering how you had only allowed him to come if he brought your favorite snack. Yoongi reached into the bag he brought and tossed you an orange and white bag. You caught it with ease and flipped over the bag to read the front.

Goldfish.

You smiled and looked at Yoongi. “Alright, you can stay.” Although a smile was playing on Yoongi’s lips, he rolled his eyes at your sassy attitude.

“I was staying regardless,” he shrugged.

“Goldfish? That’s your favorite snack?” Jungkook asked with a small laugh. You scoffed in mock defense.

“Yes! They’re delicious and cute. Do you know how they even came to be? Even the origin is endearing,” you argued and lifted the bag up, pointing to the cute cracker fish on the package.

“What’s the story?” Hoseok asked, intrigued by your sudden energy in the topic. 

“A biscuit-maker in Switzerland created what is now known as Goldfish, for his wife’s birthday. Can you guess what her zodiac sign is?” You asked eagerly, excited to share the origin story of your favorite snack.

“Uhh, Pisces?” Jungkook asked as he watched your face brighten by his answer.

“Precisely!” You exclaimed. “Isn’t that cute?”

The three men nodded slowly, not expecting you to be this joyful over fish-shaped crackers.

“Wait, how did you know Pisces?” Hoseok questioned Jungkook.

Jungkook shrugged as he replied. “Its symbol is a fish and since the crackers are shaped like fish,” he trailed off, letting Hoseok fill in the rest.

“Okay, okay,” Yoongi interrupted, waving an arm lazily in the air. This wasn’t his first time hearing the Goldfish Oregon story. “I really want to see this performance before I have to go.”

“Go? Where are you going?” You asked and gently set down your Goldfish. They weren’t as good if they were crushed.

“I didn’t finish my work so I’m planning to stay up late,” he replied. Typical Yoongi, you thought. You wondered how he ever functioned with the lack of sleep he often got. It wasn’t that he was lazy, he just wanted everything to be perfect and he found himself working on side-projects rather than his actual projects.

“Alright, well, we need to get warmed up, then we’ll show you,” you said and waited for Jungkook to play some music for your warm-up.

Yoongi and Hobi waited patiently as you warmed up, only sitting up when you both started to get in the beginning position. You sat on the floor, facing diagonally with your legs bent and your arms resting on your knees. You peered at Jungkook through the mirror as he set the music toward the end before getting in his stance. He was facing away from you, simply standing with his feet shoulder-width apart. He met your gaze through the mirror, giving you his charming smile before looking away and getting prepared mentally for the routine.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

You weren’t totally surprised by the advice Yoongi gave. Although he always gave reasonable advice, you weren’t sure if he was truly there to just observe or to actually give feedback. Hoseok, of course, also chimed in with fruitful advice. They both were proud of the finished product, which made you feel a little better about tomorrow’s presentation.

As you laid in bed, your mind filled with worry. It was a natural occurrence, however, this time the feeling was so strong you couldn’t sleep. The thought of forgetting the steps tomorrow, the failure that it would create for you and Jungkook, what you saw between Jimin and Yun Hee, the need to get answers but also wanting to disappear and avoid it– all of it making it hard to relax. Although your plan to talk to Jimin today failed, you were determined to do so tomorrow. You couldn’t live with the constant weight that was glued to your shoulders. Taehyung’s words filled your mind as you laid in your bed along with your and Jimin’s conversation earlier this week. You had both agreed to not let this come between you two and yet it happened. And though Tae’s words weren’t exactly what you wanted to hear, you were grateful he took the time and tried to help. He did bring up valid points and you were slowly realizing just how valid they truly were. 

Your hand reached out for your phone, typing in your password and going to Jimin’s contact. You brought your finger to hover over the call button. You wanted to hear his voice telling you it was okay again, that there was nothing between him and Yun Hee and it was all in your mind (which it could be, but what you saw said differently). You wanted to hear his velvety voice soothe you. However, you knew that wouldn’t be the case. You wouldn’t be greeted with that breathtaking voice. No, you would hear his cold tone. The one he would use when he kept people at arm’s length. You quickly locked your phone and set it back on your nightstand. 

Tomorrow. You promised yourself. Tomorrow you’ll resolve this. 

And hopefully, it won’t end in heartbreak.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

As you were getting ready for your presentation, the smell of eggs and toast filled your senses. Seejun often went out for breakfast since she had to be up before you, but perhaps she brought some for you this time. This would be a late breakfast for her, though, which is odd. 

You pushed aside your confusion as you brushed half your hair into a ponytail. You had already changed and packed your bag, ready to get your midterm over with. After double-checking your hair work, you grabbed your bag and walked out of your room.

“Good morning,” Seokjin said from the living room. You jumped at his voice, not expecting to find him here.

“Where’s Seejun?” You asked, not sure how he could get in without a key. Last you checked, he didn’t have one. Maybe Seejun gave him and Joon a spare recently without informing you.

“She forgot something at the cafe, she’ll be back soon. We just went to the one on campus,” he answered and raised his plate to show you his half-eaten breakfast.

“Why are you both eating so late?” You asked, heading to the small mini-fridge you and Seejun shared to grab a cold water bottle.

“Our midterm was today and we finished early. We both skipped breakfast, too,” he replied before shoveling another bite.

“That’s nice you finished early. I hope you get the score you want,” you paused, checking the time on your phone. “I better go before I’m late. I have my midterm today, too.” Seokjin smiled at you, waving at you as he wished you luck. You thanked him before leaving your dorm.

The walk to the dance studio was surprisingly pleasant until you caught sight of a familiar figure walking ahead of you. Although it may sound creepy, you knew his back like how you knew how many fingers you had. Something about the way he walked was distinctly Jimin.

His lean figure walked briskly to the studio, head staying forward as he didn’t detour from his path. Your hand twitched from where Jimin’s fingers usually interlaced with yours. You missed the way his hand molded with yours. You missed the way he would squeeze your hand every now and then as you both walked. You weren’t surprised when you didn’t find him waiting for you in the lobby this morning, though you couldn’t deny that you weren’t a little upset. You supposed it was better this way. You had time to think about what you were going to say to him today. 

You didn’t realize you had slowed down until he turned a corner and you felt your legs moving slower than usual. You quickly glanced at the time on your phone, cursing to yourself when you saw you had two minutes before class, then following Jimin’s path in a hurry. 

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

Of course. 

Your (not-so) luck had made you and Jungkook go last, right after Jimin and Yun Hee. If it were up to you, you would’ve preferred to go first or second just so you could get it over with. However, Mrs. Seung had already assigned the order of the presentations. You had no option but to watch and feel more anxious by the second. Maybe this was Mrs. Seung’s way of punishing you for requesting a partner change. As if the rougher grading wasn’t enough. 

So far, everyone’s routine was profound. Your heart rate has slowly increased and you felt as if you were going stir crazy from the amount of anxiety you felt. You didn’t even want to stand up in fear your legs would give out. 

You felt Jungkook lean into you, his ear close to yours as he whispered, “Take a deep breath. We got this.”

You couldn’t even digest his words or look at him for reassurance. You just felt your body grow hot and your palms become sweaty. You felt Jungkook rest a supportive hand on your thigh in hopes to calm you down. It did little to no help, however. 

By the time it was Jimin and Yun Here’s turn, you had gone over the routine enough times to have it tattooed on your forehead. Though even from the countless practices in your mind, you didn’t feel ready. You were too focused on the dark flooring to have seen Jimin’s small frown when he saw Jungkook’s hand on you. 

The start of the music startled you from your thoughts. Your gaze rose as you quietly watched Jimin and Yun Hee. They moved as if they fit for one another, matching the other’s movements fluidly. Shamelessly, you were searching for that connection Mrs. Seung has mentioned. You were analyzing their eyes as they met each other, searching for that spark people usually had when they saw their lover. You weren’t sure if you saw it or not, not fully trusting your sight since your mind was already clouded from what you saw in the practice room. 

While at first, you were searching for that connection, it quickly shifted to focus on Jimin. Your eyes naturally followed him across the floor. Usually, you were in awe, but right now, you were distraught. You hated how he moved with such power yet softness. You hated how naturally talented he was. You hated the way your heart stopped beating just by watching him move. You hated how you yearned for him even more now. What about him dancing made you fall more in love with him even though you were upset with him?

When it was time for the partner section, you were zoned in on the both of them. They went for a more fast-past choreography. They moved with power, moving as if the energy came from each other. They pushed and pulled against each other, letting one start the movement and allowing the other to finish it. Their choreography was unique compared to the previous presentations. You couldn’t disagree that their routine was impressive. 

The class erupted in claps when the music ended. Although the class had been clapping after every presentation, this applause sounded louder than the others. Jimin and Yun Hee bowed in thanks before walking back to their spots against the wall. 

Finally, it was time. 

Jungkook gave you an encouraging smile as you both walked to the center of the room. Your body felt stiff yet jittery. You wanted nothing more but to run out of the room and although that was do-able, you were positive Mrs. Seung wouldn’t be pleased. 

“I’ve been delighted with all the presentations so far,” Mrs. Seung spoke as you and Jungkook got into the first position. “Since these presentations were not long, I will have your grades in by the end of the day.”

Jungkook peered at you as you lowered yourself to the floor, positioning yourself in the correct position for the start. If he was nervous, he hid it well as usual. He mostly looked worried about your wellbeing at this point. 

“Let’s get it,” he whispered toward you, reminding you of your practices. Somehow, that made you ease up slightly. You glanced at him over your shoulder, nodding with a small smile on your lips. 

“Ready?” Mrs. Seung asked. Jungkook gave a thumbs up and quickly whispered to you again. 

“Get lost in the music.”

And so you did.

Well, you tried to at least. You couldn’t deny the first few eight counts weren’t the strongest. You did the movements fine, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. You simply executed them with minimum effort. It wasn’t until Jungkook was near you and he whispered for you to get lost again that you actually did.

The music slowed and you closed your eyes briefly as the counts became quieter and the music took its place. You were taken back to your last practice where you and Jungkook were laying on the floor with the lights off. You were reminded of what you told Jungkook. Your reason for dancing and why you pursued it. 

Your movements became less calculated and more fluid. You moved to the rhythms of the music, matching Kook’s movements with ease. Your mind was consumed by the music and Jungkook. Your eyes met his every time you had a partner section, and although he wasn’t smiling, you could see he was proud of you through his eyes. 

When it came down to the partner-choreography section, your nervousness came back. This was a recent addition and (stupidly now that you thought of it) you and Jungkook had added several lifts in succession toward the end. The lifts were fairly average, but they could be easily messed up with the smallest wrong move. You needed to focus, yet stay relaxed. 

The music slowed, indicating it was time to prepare for the lift. You stepped back slowly, remembering to drag your feet as the sound faded. You waited two seconds then ran toward Jungkook who had his arms out ready to grab your hips. The moment you felt his fingers on your hips, your heart stopped and the music picked up. He lifted you up with ease while you extended your arms to the side and your legs straight out, making sure you were pointing your toes. It was a small detail, but you knew it was important. 

You kept your head held high as you stayed in that position for a few seconds. Jungkook lowered you and you gently repositioned one arm around his neck and the other resting on his shoulder. You met his eyes as you prepared mentally for the second part. Jungkook slowly slid one arm to wrap around your lower back and kept the other on your hip. 

When the music increased in tempo, he quickly swung you to the left– your body lowered slightly to the floor and your legs raised to a pike position. As he did, he lowered himself in a slight lunge. When you were swung for the second time, you straightened out the arm that was resting on his shoulder to the side and let your legs apart in the air to the right. You leveraged your weight by keeping a stronghold around his neck. Jungkook rotated his hips slightly to give your lift more power. He dropped the arm on your hip to his side, using the force of the swing to help hold you up with one arm around your back. The position was held for a second before gravity took over and you landed on the floor, spinning 360 degrees as soon as you landed and stopping in front of Jungkook.

You quickly twisted your body downwards, back facing him as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You held onto his arms as he spun you upwards. Your legs were together at first but parted midway into the flip. Your left leg landed first but you quickly shifted your weight to the right by gliding it backward in a semicircle and facing your body the other way. As you were doing so, you and Jungkook adjusted your hands so they were clasping the other’s opposite wrists. Without a second to spare and with your weight on your right foot, you rocked back and forth and used the momentum going forward to twist your body to the front, leaping off the floor with your legs in a straddle. Jungkook held onto your wrists tightly as you moved from one side to the next in the air, making sure he kept his stance stable since he was there to help support you. You landed gracefully, arms crossed over the other again. Once he made sure you were steady, he rotated his body to untangle your arms. The music slowed as you both slowly stepped closer to each other, stopping when your feet were a few inches away. You both held onto each other, breaths mingling, as the music faded out and the routine was finally over. 

There was silence after the music stopped. Jungkook’s face broke into a smile and he squeezed your waist as the class began to clap. You returned the smile, instant relief flooding through your veins. Your midterm was over. You pulled away from his embrace, bowing before you took a seat. 

The weight from this performance alleviated from your shoulders. You felt as if you could finally breathe properly. While you still wanted a good grade, just getting the performance out of the way put you at ease. 

“I’m pleased with everyone’s performances today,” Mrs. Seung said as she walked to the center of the room. “As I said, your grades will be official today. No changes will be made to them, either. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the day and I’ll see you next class.”

Your heart was still trying to calm itself from the presentation when your instructor dismissed you. Slowly, you were gathering your bag and standing up after you saw some students leave the classroom. You barely noticed Jimin’s figure exiting with Yun Hee.

“I told you we had it,” Jungkook said and nudged you gently.

“We did good, Koo?” You said, but it sounded more like a question. Jungkook chuckled. 

“We did great, Y/N. How about we go celebrate?” He asked and started walking toward the exit with you.

“We haven’t got our grade back, though. What if we did horrible?” You questioned, glancing up at him. 

He shrugged, pulling out a black baseball cap and securing it on his head. “That doesn’t matter, well, not right now. I think we should celebrate getting our midterm over with.”

The small smile you had on your lips gradually turned upside down. While you wanted to celebrate with Jungkook, you really needed to talk to Jimin. You couldn’t keep delaying the conversation. 

“Can we do it tomorrow maybe? There’s nothing I need to do today,” you replied nervously. You didn’t want to disappoint him, however, he didn’t seem to mind your decision.

“Of course. We can celebrate even more once we see our awesome grade,” he said. This made you scoff playfully. Hopefully, you did get an awesome grade. 

“Sounds good. I’ll text you when I’m available, Koo,” you said as you neared the dorms. You were becoming anxious knowing you were about to talk to Jimin. Your relationship has never been in such turbulence before. You were both able to overcome your differences so far, but this was more than a mere disagreement. You were doubting how strong you thought your relationship was.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Kook smiled and stopped outside the entrance. When you gave him a confused look, he said, “Hoseok hyung asked me to keep him company while he worked on his mixtape if I was available.”

“His mixtape?” You asked, taken aback from the news of Hobi creating music. Neither Jungkook or Hobi had mentioned being interested in making music. It reminded you of your best friend and you wondered what would happen if they collabed.

“Yes, it’s a hobby of his,” Jungkook shrugged.

“Ah,” you nodded. “Well, let him know I want to hear it as soon as he finishes.” Jungkook chuckled and agreed. Mumbling a goodbye, you both waved before you parted ways. 

The walk to Jimin’s door felt different this time. Could this be the last time you visit it? You are so dramatic, you thought to yourself. You began thinking of the things you wanted to tell him when you saw him. You had told yourself you would be calm the whole time. You’ve had enough time to not get angry and, truthfully, you were growing tired of it. You were disappointed with yourself how you’ve been acting. 

You hadn’t realized you had been standing outside his dorm until the door opened suddenly. 

“He’s not here,” Tae said as soon as he saw you. Was it possible for your frown to grow deeper?

“Do you know where he is?” You asked, your voice quieter than normal. He pursed his lips together and leaned on the arm that was still holding the door open. 

“If I tell you, will you promise that you two will stop moping around? It’s insufferable here. He’s so detached,” Tae huffed, though you knew he was genuinely worried. 

“I can’t promise,” you replied honestly since you weren’t sure how this was going to end. “But I’ll try.”

“Try as hard as you can, yah? I need my friends back. Plural,” he emphasized the last part, raising his eyebrows at you. You nodded, wanting to give him a smile to know you appreciate him thinking about you, but you couldn’t find yourself to do so.

Once Taehyung told you where Jimin was, you were on your way.

Somehow you always found yourself here. The same hallway that you’ve visited multiple times this weekend. You peered through each window, looking for his lone figure. 

Of course, he would be in this room– it was his favorite. You always wondered why he chose this practice room to be his favorite. Anytime you had asked, he always gave you a joking reply. You eventually gave up asking him and figured he would enclose the reason on his own sometime.

Faint music was being played as he rushed his body into a sudden movement. You could tell he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings by the hazy look in his eyes. The way his body connected each movement with the previous had you staring for too long. You snapped out of the trance he put you in unknowingly and softly opened the door. 

The music quickly filled your ears as soon as you entered. It was almost too loud for you. These soundproof walls must be really good. 

Jimin didn’t notice you enter the room. His movements were growing sloppy as his body became tired. Soon, he was collapsing onto the floor. His back was pressed into the floor, eyes closed as he breathed heavily. His lips were ajar, chest rising and falling quickly, and his hair was messily perfect. How could that be?

The next song played directly after the previous one and Jimin still hadn’t moved. You silently took a breath before making your way to his phone that was plugged in. You had thought the sounds of your footsteps would alert Jimin, but it didn’t. Despite the loud music probably silencing your footsteps, you found this odd since he was usually on alert regardless. You slid the volume down, but not completely turning it off. You were nervous if it were too silent, he would be able to hear your pounding heart. A part of you felt a little better about the soon-conversation when you noticed you were still his lock screen. That had to mean he didn’t want to give up on this, right? He hadn’t moved on already.

As soon as the volume adjusted, Jimin’s eyes were open and he was moving his body to see who was in the room with him. He was so out of it, you noticed. His eyes were darker than usual, the shine in them absent. 

You both were silent for a moment— simply staring at me another as the music continued to play in the background. 

Here it goes. 

You put his phone gently as you sat down, back resting against the wall. You figured the distance was good for you both, despite the small craving you had to feel his skin on yours. 

“I think we should talk,” you said, hating the way your voice came out quieter than expected. Jimin repositioned himself so he was no longer laying down. He ran his hand through his damp hair as he took in a deep breath. 

“I think so, too,” he replied. His voice seemed raspier as if he hasn’t used his voice in a while. Although you wanted him to lead the conversation, you knew you needed to get everything out first. Your unspoken words were long overdue. 

“I thought I was going to be okay with you and Yun Hee after we talked on that bench,” you started. You figured starting from the beginning was the best or perhaps you were dragging out this conversation in case it ended with you never speaking to each other. “I wasn’t though. Something about the two of you really got to me. I’m not even sure why,” you said sadly. You tore your gaze from him, finding it easier to talk to him without looking at him. Jimin stayed silent as he let you continue. 

“I overheard your talk with Mrs. Seung the other day,” you confessed. “How she thinks I’m a bad influence on your future. I guess I am a negative influence considering this whole weekend’s mess was caused by my childish behavior,” you didn’t want to fish for reassurance. You knew you were being unreasonable. You quickly tried to move on in case he tried to say differently.

“When you ate breakfast with Yun Hee, I was really upset. I felt as if you replaced me with her since you had just offered to take me out to breakfast. Seeing you with her when it was about to be me with you, was hurtful. It hurt me,” you continued, starting to play with the hem of your shirt out of nervousness. Jimin hadn’t said anything still. You peeked up to see if he was listening. His eyes were still on yours. His eyes appeared softer than before and his facial expression didn’t seem as tense. He nodded to let you know he was paying attention and wanted you to continue. And so you did. 

“I know you said breakfast wasn’t planned— for both me and Yun Hee, but I just felt you should’ve declined and offered to just practice instead. I know how selfish that sounds now,” you said. “Tae had talked to me at the cabin about us, and at first I didn’t want to agree with what he said, I realized he was right. I was being hypocritical about many things. I shouldn’t have been upset about you practicing with Yun Hee when I was practicing with Jungkook. I shouldn’t have gotten mad when you invited Yun Hee to Tae’s cabin when I invited Jungkook.”

You wanted to include Jungkook and others, but you knew that wasn’t the point. The point wasn’t that you invited extra people, it was the fact you invited Jungkook when you knew Jimin wasn’t fond of him. 

“This whole thing has been eating at my mind since Wednesday. I was finally going to talk to you yesterday, but when I came to your and Yun Hee’s practice,” you trailed off. You felt that tightness in your chest that told you were going to cry. You didn’t want to, though. You didn’t want to cry. You breathed in deeply before continuing. “I saw how close you two were— physically close. I saw your faces getting closer.” Although you never saw if their lips met, they were so near it was bound to happen. Were you willing to forgive him if he did kiss her? 

“I never believed you were a cheater, which is silly to say since I’ve been acting so jealous and petty, but I still have to know. Did you kiss her?” You asked, forcing the words out of your mouth. You looked up at him as you awaited his answer. The only hint of emotion came from the twitch in the corner of his lips. 

“No,” he replied— simply and matter-of-fact. “I did not kiss Yun Hee.” He paused, his mouth staying open as if he was debating on what to say next. He let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair again and briefly dropping his gaze from yours for the first time. 

“I thought about it,” he replied truthfully. His words pushed on your heart and you forgot to take a breath for a second. “I hate saying that,” he admitted and he raised his eyes to yours again. You could tell he was forcing himself to look into your eyes. 

“People say it’s the heat of the moment a lot, but it truly was. My emotions were scattered and I didn’t know how to pick them up and put them back together. I felt utterly lost,” he continued. “But I knew it wasn’t you. I knew Yun Hee wanted it, but when I saw her lips weren’t the same shape as yours– when I saw they weren’t your lips, I stopped her. I’ve never cheated on you, Y/N. I’ve never got close to it until then. And I’m so sorry about that. I know my mixed emotions are not an excuse” 

You watched his eyes slowly become shiny from the water gathering in them. He blinked once, then several more times in succession. He wasn’t afraid to cry in front of you, but he didn’t want you to feel sorry for him.

“I know I didn’t kiss her, but just the fact I considered it, makes me feel like I cheated on you.”

While you couldn’t prove if he truly didn’t kiss her, his expression was so raw that you felt his truthfulness through his eyes. It did hurt to know he contemplated it, though. While you found Jungkook attractive and had some moments of gentle touches, you never considered kissing him. 

“Do you want to be with her?” You asked quietly. Did he only stop because he knew he was still in a relationship? Not because it wasn’t you, but because it wasn’t his girlfriend— in general. 

“No,” he replied without hesitation. “No, baby, I don’t. I want to be with you.”

“How did we get here?” You questioned, more to yourself than to him. Although you felt this was mainly your fault, you still wondered why Jimin never offered more reassurance. Everyone could see your somber expressions lately, so surely he noticed as well. Was he growing tired of your jealousy? Was he growing tired of you? If so, why did he just say he wanted to be with you?

As if he were reading your mind, he replied, “I felt hopeless. I felt anything I would say would make things worse. I could tell how upset you were, but I couldn’t find myself to do anything about it. Jungkook was always there with you or Yoongi, and I used that as an excuse to not confront you.” 

“I know how stupid that sounds, but I didn’t want to hurt you more. And I know inviting Yun Hee didn’t help our situation. I confess that was solely out of spite for you inviting Jungkook, which was wrong, I know,” he sighed. “I know you didn’t just invite him, either, but I felt as though you wanted to spend more time with him instead of me. You had been spending so much time together, more than me and Yun Hee, and it got me worried about what was going on between you two.”

You took in his words, trying to open your mind to view things from his perspective. You wanted to reply that you and Kook were practicing so much because you were extremely stressed about failing the assignment– you needed all the practice you could get. Though this wasn’t the time to defend yourself. It was his turn to voice his concerns. 

“Ironically,” he said with a chuckle,albeit there was nothing humorous about it. “I saw you two yesterday practicing. Well, actually, I’m not sure what you two were doing. The lights were off and you were both close,” he said, slight confusion in his voice. Ironic indeed you thought. Was the universe trying to tell you both that you’re both dumb? Probably. 

“Did you kiss him?” He returned the question after a few seconds of silence. 

“No,” you said. “I-“ Never came close to. “We were just talking. Jungkook’s friend, Hoseok, said we needed a better connection for the midterm. Even Mrs. Seung said the connection was important, so we were just doing that- building our connection.”

He watched you closely. You could tell he was analyzing for any signs of lies. From the way his shoulders relaxed, you knew he believed you. 

“About the conversation between me and Mrs. Seung,” he started. “I don’t agree with her. I don’t think you’re holding me back. If anything, you motivate me to work harder. You make me want to be better in all aspects of life— as a person, in my passions, in anything I create. I want to be better for you.” 

Your heart tightened again, but it was different this time. You felt like crying but not out of sadness. You were touched by his words. Throughout your two years together, he never spoke to you about this. He would mention wanting to do better, but he never said the reason. You had just guessed it was because he was a perfectionist. 

“Because of you,” he finished slowly. 

Silence fell over you two again. You felt as if there was more you wanted to say, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. You wanted to get all your thoughts out since this was the time.

“I think we were too focused on the midterm that it took over our lives. It blinded us from seeing what we needed,” he paused. His eyes were stuck on yours and your moving hands suddenly stilled. You didn’t realize you were playing with your shirt this entire time.

“Each other,” he finished. Although this was supposed to be a touching moment, you couldn’t help the small snort that escaped. You squealed slightly in embarrassment and covered your mouth, looking away from his face to try to hide your expression.

“A-achoo” You fake-sneezed, lamely attending to cover your laugh. Jimin tilted his head at you, the corner of his lips dipping downward. 

“Did you just laugh at me?” He scoffed, though there was a teasing tone hinting. 

“No. I agree. We need each other,” you said and nodded dramatically. You forced your lips downwards to keep the small smile from forming.

“You know that was meant to be a very caring moment,” he hummed, standing up and walking to move closer to you. 

“I know,” you argued. “I can’t help if I sneeze at the wrong time.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Bless you then.”

Your eyes followed Jimin as he became close enough to touch. He sat back down, legs in a straddle as he stared at you. 

“Thank you,” you said as you felt your body grow hot from the need to be closer to him. You never craved his touch this badly before. You felt guilty for wanting him when you were still having a meaningful conversation.

“You weren’t supposed to laugh,” he pouted. The urge to tug on his bottom lip was strong. 

“I couldn’t help it,” you caved. “It was so cheesy. But cute,” you added the last part quickly. 

“Maybe so, but it’s true. I need you, jagiya,” he said. Fuck, did his voice just lower? Your thoughts were no longer on Yun Hee or Jungkook or the midterm. You simply wanted your boyfriend. 

“Come here, baby,” he continued softly, patting the spot in front of him. You didn’t hesitate to move toward him. You wrapped your legs around his waist, fitting perfectly between his legs. Your arms instantly wrapped around his neck while he circled your waist. 

It wasn’t long before his plump lips crashed onto yours. The kiss wasn’t as soft as you were expecting. He was moving his lips fiercely against yours. It felt as though he was making up for the lost time. As if he was about to be taken from you and this was his last chance to kiss you. 

However, you didn’t mind. 

You matched his pace, quickly finding your fingers in his locks. He hummed in content as he pressed you closer to him— if that was possible.

You jumped and pulled away from the kiss when you felt the coldness from his rings on your bare lower back. He simply chuckled, rubbing circles against your warm, smooth skin. 

“I’ve missed you,” you said and ran your fingers through his hair gently. He smiled widely at you, giving you a squeeze, before answering. 

“I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry for not coming to talk to you when you were so upset. I should’ve reassured you and made you feel at ease.”

You nodded, accepting his apology. “I’m sorry I got so jealous. I trust you, I do, I just got too caught up in my insecurities. I was so scared you’d lose me for someone better. Someone that makes your future more successful.”

Jimin’s hand began rubbing up and down on your sides in comfort, trying to let you know he was there for you. 

“Let’s go on a date tonight,” he said. You raised your eyebrows. It’s been at least a month since your last date. You weren’t opposed to going on a date, but you were not expecting him to suggest this. 

“Really?” You asked.

“Is that a no?” He teased, leaning forward to press his lips right under your jawline. 

“I’ll go on a date with you,” you giggled when he kissed the spot just behind your ear. For some reason, that spot was always ticklish. 

“I missed that,” Jimin said softly and pulled away from you. Suddenly, your and Jimin’s phone dinged. You went to pull out your phone from your pocket, but Jimin’s hand rested on yours to stop you. 

“Focus on me,” he pleaded. You leaned down and pecked his lips. 

“I will after I check. Maybe it’s our grades,” you replied, eager to see how you and Kook did. 

“But I want your attention only on me,” he whined, leaning onto your chest. You quickly felt his lips kiss the top curve of one of your breasts through your shirt. “Y/N,” he whined into your body, continuing his attack of kisses on you. They were trailing from your chest to your collarbone to your neck and down again.

Despite his pleas, you took out your phone. You placed your arms around Jimin’s neck again and rested your arms on his shoulders, viewing your screen from behind his head.

An email motivation from Mrs. Seung. 

You took a deep breath and clicked the notification, entering your passcode before waiting for the screen to load. Jimin’s kisses traveled back up to your neck. You couldn’t deny that it was getting harder to focus with Jimin buried in the crook of your neck— licking, sucking, and biting your skin. 

The screen loaded and your eyes scanned the beginning of the message. 

Everyone should be proud of themselves. You all learned the routine quicker than expected and all came up with unique partner-sections. 

I was impressed. 

Next class, we will continue on technique and freestyle to get prepared for your final. You will be able to select the partner of your choice. Choose wisely since your final counts for 75% of your overall grade. 

Below you will be you and your partner’s score for your midterm. Reminder there will be no grade changes. 

Y/L/N Y/N and Jeon Jungkook

88

Passing. You got a passing score. It wasn’t as high as you wanted, but considering she was grading your performance harder than the rest, you felt proud. 

“Yes!” You exclaimed, which had Jimin pulling away slightly to look at your cheerful face. 

“What’d you get, baby?” He asked, holding your back securely as he leaned forward to grab his phone. He quickly typed in his password and went to his email. 

“I got an 88! Not as good as I wanted, but I’ll take it. She was grading us harder than the rest, so an 88 is like an A, right?” You questioned happily. Jimin gave you a wide smile, the light tone of your voice making him happy. 

“You did so well today,” he praised and pressed his lips to yours softly. 

“You did, too,” you compliment back, and you mean it. Oddly, the thought of Yun Hee dancing with him didn’t make your blood boil anymore– perhaps just a slight simmer instead. You felt more at ease despite thinking of them together. Although it did hurt to know he considered kissing her, you were grateful he was honest with you. You were also glad he didn’t kiss her because of you, despite the rocky situation you were both in. He stayed loyal. “I’m always so mesmerized by watching you.” 

He laughed bashfully and bowed his head to his phone, partly because he was reading the email and the other part from being shy from your compliment. 

As he was reading the email, you texted Jungkook about your grade. You suddenly thought about how he would feel about Jungkook now. Even though you felt more at peace with Yun Hee, you wanted Jimin to feel the same about Jungkook. However, you weren’t sure what you would do if he wasn’t. You couldn’t just stop talking to Jungkook because Jimin didn’t like him. Could you? Would Jimin do that if you requested he not spend time with Yun Hee?

The circle would keep going. You shook your head at that. It couldn’t keep going. You decided there that you trusted Jimin. More so now than ever. If he wanted to hang out with Yun Hee, you trusted him to stay loyal to you. 

“How’s your score?” You asked when he didn’t say anything for a while. 

“It’s good,” he replied vaguely. You hid your frown at his answer. 

“That doesn’t sound good,” you said. “Tell me. I’m sure you did great.”

He locked his phone and slid it back to where it was. “I got a 99. You know how Mrs. Seung is about giving out 100s.”

Your eyebrows knitted in confusion at his words. He didn’t seem that happy about it. “Is there something wrong? A 99 is great, Jimin,” you said. 

“Yeah, I’m happy, I just…” he trailed off. “I didn’t want you to be upset.”

“Why would I be upset?” You asked and placed your phone on the side. 

“I know you wanted a higher score and-“

“That doesn’t mean I would be upset by you getting a higher score than me. I expected you would. She really likes you,” you said reassuringly. “And you should tell me things even if you think they’ll upset me.”

“I’m working on it,” he replied with a small smile. 

“Good,” you said. “Congrats on your high score, ChimChim.” You gave him another quick kiss. If it were possible, you would give him a kiss every second of the day. You loved the way his soft lips felt against yours. 

“Thank you,” he murmured happily. 

“I do have one question though,” you said. “How do you feel about me talking to Jungkook still?”

You were nervous about his answer since he seemed to really dislike Jungkook. He sighed and took a moment to think. 

“I think I’m okay,” he replied thoughtfully. “I’m not entirely thrilled about it, but I trust you and I can’t force you to stop talking to someone.”

“Or hanging out with them?” You added cautiously. 

“Or hanging out with them,” he replied. “How do you feel about me and Yun Hee?”

Him and Yun Hee. You didn’t like the way that was phrased, but you supposed it was because it was still a sensitive topic. You were more at ease, but it was easy to fall back into those dark thoughts. 

“Like you, I’m not overjoyed, but I can’t do anything about it but accept it. I trust you,” you said. “I said that before and my actions showed otherwise, but I’m going to prove I actually mean it. I trust you, Park Jimin.”

“Even after what I did?” He questioned. His expression quickly became sorrowful. 

“Sounds weird, but what you did kinda helped me trust you more. You were so close, but you stopped yourself,” you replied and began playing with his hair again, hoping it would calm him. “You had control over your actions and you admitted to what you thought instead of hiding it.”

“Aren’t you worried that since I felt those emotions, it would be easy to feel them again?” He replied. He didn’t want you to doubt him, but the guilt of his cheating thoughts had him doubting himself. He was nervous those feelings would arise again. Not just for Yun Hee, but for any other girl who got close. He never wanted to betray you and he was determined to do so. He wouldn’t allow himself to come close to those feelings.

“That’s true,” you admitted. “But I’m trusting you to not feel that way again. No matter the situation we are in. I’m hoping we will disclose our true feelings earlier and talk them out.”

Jimin let your words sink in as you continued to play with his hair. 

“I love you,” he said. His voice sounded desperate as if he was worried you wouldn’t say it back. He was nervous you had fallen out of love with him. He was nervous he was going to lose you despite everything you just said. Your hands slowed at his pleading expression. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” you soothed. “I love you more.”

“I promise I’ll confide in you more. I’ll make sure you never have a reason to go,” he whispered as he hovered his lips on yours. You could feel the subtle brush of his lips as he spoke. 

“Never?” You questioned playfully. He hummed as he moved closer. 

“Yeah, you’re stuck with me. Didn’t you know that?” He replied, lips barely pressed to yours. 

“Maybe you should remind me,” you said teasingly. 

“That’s my girl,” he muttered before closing the space between you. 

Minutes went by easily when you were with Jimin. As cliche as it is, your heart felt whole when you were around him. You hoped this conversation dulled the pain from this weekend for good and that if it ever happened again, you would both learn from your mistakes. You learned staying away from Jimin took a toll on you that was troublesome. You never wanted to experience that again. 

“Let’s go,” Jimin said, lips swollen and barely out of breath despite your long kissing session. “We got a date to attend to.”

You giggled in reply, offering him one more kiss before removing yourself from his lap and tucking your phone in your back pocket. As you watched him gather his personal items, you realized how much he meant to you. Despite the dark times, you were both growing with each other. You were discovering what worked for both of you. You were also noticing more small things that he does without knowing like pouting when he is in deep concentration. Not to mention that you could listen to his soothing voice all day. 

Park Jimin was truly unique in every aspect.


End file.
